Torn: Ready or Not
by HumanEmotion
Summary: Always expect the unexpected. When the unthinkable happens, will the Reagan's be able find each other, or will someone be lost forever? Jamie/family. Part 4 of 4 now up.
1. Ripped Open

Torn: Ready or Not

**Disclaimer:** Don't own, never will. Just borrowing.

**A/N:** Okay, so this isn't a typical crime/action story but it's something I've wanted to do for a while, though I didn't know how to write it. I also don't want to give everything away so more at the end of the chapter. ;) An odd feeling comes with posting this one, as I just don't know how it'll go over or if it'll even generate interest, but I suppose there's only one way to find out. It's a four-part story with Jamie (who else?) as the main character - though in this one, I'm picking on everyone. ;) I wrote the story quite a while ago, so it has nothing to do with the new season. Jamie/family, Jamie/Nicki/Jack/Sean (a family dynamic that hasn't been explored much on the show).

Though she'll likely never read it, major thanks to Imogen Heap, and especially the song _2-1_, for fueling inspiration after the idea was born. Helped with the title, too. ;)

As always, please enjoy. :)

* * *

Chapter 1: Ripped Open

Jamie Reagan stood under the shower head, cold water pouring down over him. It was seven-thirty in the morning. He had to pull in extra time during his last shift due to the flu taking out several officers. As a result, he didn't get home until four in the morning. He crashed immediately, but his alarm woke him only a few hours later. He had pulled the covers over his head, but couldn't ignore the fact that in just a few short hours, he'd have the family rug rats to look after for the day.

He turned off the water, sighing. He had promised Nicki that he would take her to the library on his day off. Consequently, school was off as well, giving the children a three-day weekend. He'd agreed to take Sean and Jack, too.

He dressed quickly, looking longingly at his bed and wishing he were still under the covers. He felt like pouting, but instead tore himself away from his room and hurried down the hall to the kitchen. He pulled eggs from the fridge and started making himself breakfast. He glanced at the clock; Nicki would be there by eight-thirty as Erin had to be at her office by nine. The boys would show up a bit later when Linda dropped them off.

Jamie ate slowly, going over the plans for the day. He adored his niece and nephews, but wasn't used to looking after them. He also wanted to avoid using the term "babysitting" around Nicki; at fifteen she didn't need a babysitter and wouldn't appreciate the notion that he was "looking after" her. To her, this was just a day to spend with her uncle and cousins. Jamie was just her glorified taxi-driver.

~~BB~~

"Nicki, hurry up!" Erin hollered. "I can't be late for work!"

"Coming, Mom!" Nicki hollered back, descending the stairs. Erin huffed impatiently when she saw her daughter's outfit.

"I don't think so, honey," Erin grumbled. "That skirt's way too short."

"Mom, it's just above the knee." Nicki groaned.

"It's shorter than your school uniform!"

"Not by much!"

"Go change," Erin ordered, pointing at the stairs. "And hurry, we're going to be late getting to Uncle Jamie's."

Nicki scowled, but turned and made her way back to her room. Two minutes later she hurried back down the stairs, dressed in a long-sleeve shirt and jeans. She stuffed her feet into a pair of black flats and put on her jacket, grabbing her backpack. She looked impatiently at her mother. "There, happy now?"

Erin smiled. "Yes. Let's go." she replied, motioning her daughter out the door, following quickly behind her. She locked the door and made her way down to the car sitting in the driveway, where Nicki already waited.

As they drove towards Jamie's apartment, Erin attempted to engage Nicki in conversation. "What's your paper about?"

"Female body image and the media."

"Sounds interesting," Erin prompted. "There must be a lot of information on that subject."

"There is. I've already got a lot, but I just want to round it out with some more."

"Sounds like a good idea." Erin replied. Nicki stayed silent. "You must have other plans, though. You don't want to spend your entire Friday off doing homework, do you?"

Nicki shrugged. "Everyone's going away for the weekend… I might as well get the report done."

"Try to have a bit of fun, Nick." Erin said, sighing. "I'm sure Jamie's planned a whole day for you and the boys."

"Sure."

"Nicki…"

"We're here, Mom…"

Erin pulled over to the side of the road. Nicki hopped out, hurrying up the steps to Jamie's apartment building. Erin turned off the car and hurried after her daughter. They walked into the lobby of the building, nodding at the doorman, and headed towards the elevator. It opened as soon as Nicki pressed the button for the fifth floor. It was a silent ride. As they stepped out into the hallway on Jamie's floor, Erin pulled Nicki off to the side.

"Nick, what's wrong? Is this about the skirt I wouldn't let you wear?"

"It's nothing, Mom." Nicki said, her tone frustrated. "You're always trying to butt in!"

Erin sighed in frustration. "You spend most of your time mad at me these days!"

"I'm not mad at you, Mom." Nicki grumbled, rolling her eyes. "Though I'd like it if you just left me alone."

"I asked you to change so that your uncle wouldn't have to beat the boys away all day, and all I asked you about was your paper."

"Sure, Mom." Nicki replied. "Let's go, Uncle Jamie's probably wondering where we are."

"Right." Erin mumbled, following Nicki. She knocked on Jamie's door.

Jamie smiled as he opened his door. "Hi, Erin. Hi, Nick."

"Morning Uncle Jamie." Nicki smiled, giving him a hug before kicking off her shoes and heading for the living room. She pulled a book out of her backpack and started to read.

Erin shook her head, giving Jamie a look. "Have a good day, Nicki. I'll see you tonight."

"See you later, Mom." Nicki called back, not even looking up from her book.

"Love you, too." Erin muttered. "Teenager," she added in response to Jamie's questioning look. "Good luck, little brother. You'll need it with the way she's acting this morning."

Jamie grinned. "Don't worry, Erin. We'll be fine."

"I'll be the judge of that tonight." Erin answered, smiling at him. "Thanks, Jamie. I was going to take her to the library tomorrow, but she's anxious to get this report done and wanted more information."

"It's not a problem, Erin." Jamie said, waving her off. "I haven't spent much time with her lately. It'll be nice to visit with her for a while."

"Is Linda dropping off the boys?"

"Yeah, they'll be here later. I'm going to take them to the library around ten-thirty, before it gets busy."

"Okay. I've got to go, Jamie. I've got a courtroom date in an hour and a half that I have to finish preparing for." Erin told him. "Thanks again for doing this… are you sure you're okay? You look exhausted."

Jamie waved her off. "I had to take some extra time last night. The flu's been running through the twelfth over the last couple of days knocking out several of our people, causing the rest of us to take extra shifts. I got home around four this morning."

"Oh, Jamie… you should have called me, I would have told Nicki that I'd take her tomorrow instead… you need your sleep." Erin replied, concerned.

"It's fine, Erin." Jamie assured her. "I got a few hours once I got home, and I might be able to nap later. I have the rest of the weekend off, I can sleep tonight."

"If you're sure..." Erin replied. "Okay, I really do have to go. Don't be afraid to drop them off with Grandpa if you feel too tired later on."

"I know, Erin." Jamie sighed, waving her off again. "Go, you're going to be late."

"See you later, Jamie."

"Stay safe." Jamie answered, waving as she walked back down toward the elevator. He sighed, closing the door.

"Annoying, isn't she?" Nicki piped up.

"Don't be hard on her, Nick," Jamie admonished softly. "She's just looking out for you." He paused, thinking. "And me, which _is_ a little annoying." he finished, grinning slightly. Nicki laughed.

Jamie sat beside her on the couch. "Do you want anything to eat?"

"No thanks, Uncle Jamie." Nicki said, smiling at him. "I ate before we left."

Jamie nodded. "What are you reading?"

"One of the books I picked up from the school library. I'm just gathering information for my paper."

"Looks interesting."

"As interesting as it will get, I guess." Nicki sighed.

"Anything wrong, Nick?"

"Nope."

"Are you sure?" Jamie asked, slightly concerned by her furrowed brows and worried biting of her bottom lip.

Nicki sighed. "I picked this topic because I want to know why."

Jamie looked confused. "You want to know why… _what_?"

"So many of the girls in my school seem so focused on how they look."

"How so?"

"They look at celebrities and pick out this flaw and that flaw, even though it may not actually exist. They count the amount of foods they eat, some don't even eat at all… they look up to the wrong people. Some think they're fat when they're not."

"Body issues exist, though it's unfortunate." Jamie replied. Nicki nodded.

"I know. They go after me sometimes, and sometimes my friends…"

"Bullying?" Jamie asked, frowning.

"No, not exactly." Nicki replied, thinking. "Sort of, though. Some of the girls tell me I should lose weight to be like them… but they're scary-looking. Others act jealous of me and are mean because of it. It's the same towards my friends… they really go after Tanya. She's really healthy and athletic but she's stockier, so they bug her because of it. It hurts."

Jamie pulled her into a one-armed hug. "Of course it does, Nick." he told her. "Look, if they keep bugging you, tell me and I'll come by and straighten it out."

Nicki smiled. "Will you wear your uniform and gun and everything?"

Jamie grinned. "I can if you want."

"Good," Nicki said smugly. "Maybe they'll think twice, then."

"Maybe." Jamie smiled at her. "Honey, I'm not saying they should be scared into silence. They need to understand that what they're saying to you and your friends is wrong and hurtful. And regardless of what they say, I can tell you're worried about them. You're just that kind of person."

"They're not being healthy." Nicki agreed. "Why would they do that to themselves?"

Jamie tapped the book in her lap. "That's what you're trying to find out."

Nicki nodded again. "Yeah, you're right."

"Nick, haven't you told your mom about this?" Jamie asked. "I'm sure she'd want to know about any issues you're having at school."

A cloud passed over Nicki's face. "If I do, then she's going to get into my business and never leave me alone…"

"So… pretty much what I'll do too, if I feel you're hiding something?" Nicki opened her mouth to retort, but closed it again, unsure of what to say. Jamie smiled. "You can't get rid of any of us, Nicki. We're going to be there whether you like it or not."

Nicki smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Uncle Jamie." she said. "I'll apologize to Mom tonight."

"She'd like that." Jamie replied. He patted her knee. "I'll let you work for a while. The boys will be here soon, then we can go. I'm not going to let you work all day, though… we're going to have some fun, too."

Nicki scowled. "Jack and Sean's idea of fun?"

"Maybe," Jamie answered. "But I want some ideas from you, too."

"I'll think of something, Uncle Jamie."

Jamie smiled. "Good. We'll go out for lunch after the library, we can discuss it then." he answered, getting up. He left her to work and went to clean up his breakfast dishes.

~~BB~~

"I've got to run, babe." Danny said, giving Linda a kiss as he picked up his jacket. "I'll see you tonight."

"Have a good day, honey."

"Are you dropping the boys off with Jamie later?"

"Yes. They've been bugging me to let them spend some time with him. He promised Erin that he would take Nicki to the library today so she could get some more information for her report. I asked him if he would mind taking the boys, too."

Danny nodded. "Gramps knows about it in case Jamie wants to drop them off with him."

"Why would Jamie do that?"

"Several of the officers in the twelfth division have been out sick. Jamie took some extra time last night. We were supposed to meet for a beer, but he had to call and cancel. He probably got home early this morning."

Linda sighed. "He should have called me and told me not to bring them by…"

"No, I'm sure he still wants to spend time with them," Danny assured her. "Gramps is just the backup in case Jamie decides later that he wants to sleep for a while instead." He kissed her again. "I'm going to be late. I'll see you later, okay? Don't worry about Jamie, they'll be fine."

"If you say so." Linda smiled. "See you tonight."

Danny poked his head into the kitchen where his sons were finishing breakfast. "See you tonight, squirts." He said. "Be good for Uncle Jamie today, okay? Don't tire him out."

"Okay Dad." they chorused. "See you later." Jack said. Sean waved, his mouth full of cereal. Danny smiled again, heading outside to his car.

"Hurry up, you two," Linda called. "I told Uncle Jamie I'd have you there by ten. It's nine, and it'll take us a while to get there."

"Almost done, Mom." Sean called back. Jack was putting his dish in the sink.

"Have you brushed your teeth yet?"

"Going to do that now, Mom." Jack sighed. Sean made a face, following his brother after putting his own dish in the sink. Ten minutes later, they thundered down the stairs, fully dressed and cleaned up.

Linda handed them their jackets. "Get your shoes on. We're backing out of that driveway in five minutes. If you're not in that car, you get left behind."

They hurried to tie their shoes, grabbing their jackets and throwing them on. They hurried out the door just as Linda appeared with her keys. She smiled at them, locking the door behind her. "Good. Now let's go."

The boys raced each other to the car, each of them vying for the front passenger seat. Jack shoved Sean out of his way as he reached the passenger side first. Sean pouted.

"Mo-om! He pushed me!"

"Sean, enough. Jack, be nice to your brother." Linda sighed, feeling sorry for Jamie already. "Get in, boys. We're wasting time."

Slowly, they made their way through morning traffic, finally arriving in front of Jamie's apartment building. Linda turned off the car, hurrying out after her sons. They took off, once again racing each other to the front door. The doorman smiled as he opened the door for them.

"Mr. Reagan has lots of visitor's today." he said, recognizing the Reagan clan. Linda smiled back.

"Unfortunately for him." she answered, indicating her sons. She smiled again as they made their way to the elevator. "Boys, stop horsing around."

"Sorry, Mom." they mumbled, still pushing at each other. They shoved each other down the hallway on Jamie's floor once they got out of the elevator. Linda sighed, annoyed.

"Boys…"

"Hi, Uncle Jamie!" Sean said, hurrying towards his uncle. Jamie had poked his head out into the hallway, hearing the commotion as soon as the elevator doors opened. He smiled at them.

"Hi, Sean! Hi, Jack! How are you this morning?"

"Fine, Uncle Jamie." Jack answered, hurrying past him into the apartment, Sean on his heels.

"I'm sorry, Jamie." Linda apologized. "They've been like this all morning. I don't know what's gotten into them."

Jamie watched as they grappled with each other in front of Nicki, who was looking more and more annoyed as the seconds ticked on. "It's okay, Linda. I can handle them, don't worry."

"You say that now…" Linda grumbled. "Just tell them to take a time out if they get to be too much," she added. "You should have called me, Jamie. If I had known you had to take an extra shift, I would have cancelled today's plans to let you sleep."

"Danny told you?"

"Yes, what do you expect?" Linda smiled. "Henry's willing to look after them, too, if you decide later that they're too much."

"Nah," Jamie said, waving her off. "It's fine, I'll handle them. Don't worry about it."

"Okay. Have a good time today." Linda said, smiling at him. "Boys, remember what I told you?"

"Yes, Mom." Jack sighed. "We'll be good."

"I expect to hear only good things from Uncle Jamie when I see you tonight, got it?"

"Got it, Mom. See you later." Sean said.

"Love you, Mom." Jack added.

"Love you guys. Have a good time." Linda said, shooting a look at Jamie. "Good luck, Jamie."

"Won't need it." Jamie laughed. "See you later, Linda." he waved, shutting the door as she made her way back down to the elevator. "So, do you boys want anything to eat?"

"No, we ate already." Jack answered.

"Okay. Then what do you say we head to the library now, get there before it gets busy?"

Nicki was already putting her books back into her bag. "I agree, Uncle Jamie."

Jamie nodded. "Boys?"

"Fine… why do we have to go to a library?" Sean grumbled. "That's so boring!"

"Because some of us have work to do." Nicki snapped back, sticking out her tongue. Sean made a face.

Jamie sighed, already wondering if both Erin and Linda were right. "Enough, you two. Let's get going. Those who need a bathroom break, go now." Nicki headed down the hallway towards the bathroom.

"I'm good, Uncle Jamie." Jack replied. Sean nodded in agreement.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"'Cause I'm not stopping once we're in the car."

"We're good."

"Okay, then you'd better not complain."

"We won't."

Nicki arrived back in the entryway. She put her shoes back on and grabbed her jacket. She slung her backpack over her shoulder. "I'm ready to go, Uncle Jamie."

"Good. Boys?"

"Ready."

"Then let's get moving."

They headed outside, walking towards the parking lot. Jack and Sean argued over who would sit in front only to find Nicki already leaning against the passenger side door. They tried shoving her out of the way.

"Move, Nicki." Sean whined.

"I was here first, Sean." Nicki grumbled.

"Sean, leave her alone." Jamie sighed. "You can each take a turn in the front. Let Nicki sit there this time."

"Okay." Sean pouted. "_Dad_ would let me sit in front." he added, mumbling.

"I'm not your father." Jamie replied, smirking.

Sean looked thoughtful. "You're related."

"I'm _still_ not your father." Jamie smiled. Sean scowled as he crawled into the back beside Jack.

All was quiet as they drove through the city, heading towards the library.

"Uncle Jamie?" a meek voice called from the back.

"Yeah, Sean?"

"I have to pee." he mumbled. Nicki laughed. Jamie sighed, shaking his head.

"We'll be at the library in ten minutes. Can you hold it?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Positive?"

"Uncle Jamie!" Sean whined.

"What?" Jamie asked innocently. "You're the one who said you didn't have to go in the first place. Any messes back there and you'll be the one cleaning it up!" _'With me doing an extra detailed job…'_ he added to himself, shuddering.

"I'll be fine." Sean grumbled. Jack laughed. "Shut up, Jack."

Jack snickered to himself, staring out the side window. Ten minutes later, they pulled into the library parking lot. Only a few cars were there. Jamie got out, opening the door for Sean.

"Okay, Sean, let's stop at the bathroom. Jack, do you need to go?"

"Not really but I'll stop, too."

"Good answer." Jamie smirked. "Nicki…"

"I know where I need to go, Uncle Jamie. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Sure, Nick. If we don't find you first, meet us at the front desk in an hour, okay? Then we can go grab some lunch."

"Sure."

"Can we go to the water park, Uncle Jamie?" Jack asked, referring to their favourite indoor swimming pool.

"Did you two bring your suits?"

"No…"

"Then no."

"Aw."

"Should have thought of that earlier." Sean mumbled to his brother. Jack scowled.

"If you'd like to, we could stop at the science center." Jamie offered.

"We've been there so often, though." Jack replied.

"They have that new section." Nicki called behind her. "The dinosaur part. And they've added to the space section. There's more stuff to see in there now."

Sean's face lit up. "Can we go, Uncle Jamie? Please?"

Jamie smiled. "Okay, after lunch we'll go there. Is that okay with you, Nicki?"

"Sure, Uncle Jamie," she said, tossing them a smile. "I've heard the dinosaur area is really cool."

"Then that's where we'll go." Jamie answered, taking Sean's hand as they entered the building. "Let's stop here first." he said, indicating the washrooms off the main entrance. "Nicki?"

"I'll see you in an hour." she replied, already heading for the stairs.

Jamie nodded, leading the boys into the washroom. He waited patiently for them. A few minutes later, they were back at his side. "Okay, do you want to find any books?"

Jack shrugged. "There's nothing I can think of to read, but we can look." Sean nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. Maybe we'll find something."

"Sure." Jamie answered, leading them towards the kids section. "Go ahead and look, guys. Just stay in sight of me, okay?"

"Okay, Uncle Jamie." Sean said, already browsing through a bookshelf. Jack rounded the shelf, taking a look at the other side. Jamie hovered around, keeping an eye on both of them.

~~BB~~

Henry stretched, placing his breakfast dishes in the sink and running the water. He thought about Jamie and his plans to watch Nicki, Jack, and Sean. He smiled to himself. He knew his grandson could handle them, but wondered if he should give him a call to let him know that he could always drop them off with him.

'_Nah,'_ he thought to himself. _'Jamie will stop by if he wants to pass them off. He can handle it.'_

Henry went to dress and clean up before taking a seat in the living room with a cup of coffee and his book.

~~BB~~

Frank smiled as he walked up to his office, coffee cup in hand. "Good morning, Baker."

"Good morning, Sir." she said, smiling back. "You have a ten-thirty meeting with the mayor."

Frank sighed. "How could I forget? Thank you, Baker. Let him in when he arrives."

"Yes, Sir."

Frank entered his office, placing his coffee cup on his desk. He sat down, pulling several file folders over. He opened the first one and started reading through it.

~~BB~~

Henry stretched, glancing at his watch. It was just after eleven. He marked his place and put his book off to the side. It was a beautiful day, and he thought a short walk might be nice. He stood from his chair, stretching again.

The lights flickered. He frowned, but shrugged it off. In a city as large as New York, power surges happened sometimes. He paused again as the lights flickered once more and the floor beneath him seemed to vibrate. He hurried over to the window to see if he could see a large truck passing by. The quiet street was empty. He shrugged it off again and walked into the kitchen to wash his coffee cup.

He was reaching to place the cup on the shelf in the cupboard when the lights flicked off. A long, loud groan rang through the air… the ground started to shake… Henry tried to catch the cup that had been balancing precariously on the edge of the shelf but missed. It splintered at his feet as several more cups fell off the shelf; more dishes rattled and fell, clanking against each other.

Heart pounding, Henry dove under the kitchen table as the shaking and vibrating slowed, eventually coming to a stop. The silence was deafening. Nervously, Henry poked his head out from under the table; only then did he notice a small spot of blood on his sock where he must have stepped on a piece of the shattered coffee cup. There were a couple of tiny cuts on his right hand, the one he'd used to push himself under the kitchen table. Slowly, he eased out, standing with difficulty. The adrenaline was surging, causing his body to shake.

Where was everyone else?

~~BB~~

Frank looked up from the file he was working on. It was eleven-fifteen, and his meeting with the mayor had been quick and to-the-point. Next, he had a two o'clock press conference that he was preparing for. He put his pen down, leaning back and stretching.

The power flickered.

Frank frowned. It wasn't unusual for there to be power surges, but not usually this early in the day. He shrugged it off, picking up his pen. Sighing, he returned to his file folder.

He jumped as everything started to shake. The power went off. Objects started to fall off his desk and the shelves around him. Heart thumping, he shoved back his chair and dove under his desk, barely feeling the scrape of wood against skin as his arm and hand brushed against the sharper edge of the desk.

Finally, the shaking slowed, then stopped. Frank pushed out from under his desk, feeling the stinging in his hand; a small scrape was visible where his hand had bashed against the desk. The arm of his suit had a small tear in it. Heart still thundering, he swiped a hand across his forehead, hurrying to the door. He stepped out, immediately helping Baker off of the floor from where she had crouched down. His deputy rushed in, but seemed satisfied that everyone was okay. He rushed back out again, intending on checking out everyone else in the building.

Frank pushed Baker into the nearest seat. "Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

"I'm fine, Sir." she squeaked. "Where did that come from?"

"Like usual, out of nowhere." Frank sighed. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, Sir. I'll be fine once I calm down." she assured him, giving him a shaky smile. "I should go see if anyone else needs help."

"Good idea." Frank agreed. On the outside, he appeared slightly shaken, but mostly calm and collected. On the inside, he was quaking. Where was the rest of his family?

~~BB~~

Erin sighed. She had hoped the trial would go quickly and smoothly but, in typical fashion, it wasn't going as planned. They had just finished a recess and had gathered back into the courtroom. Erin stood, ready to question the witness.

No one was prepared for the sudden jolt, or the power flickering off, or the frantic shaking of the floor beneath them. Panicked screams filled the air as pictures fell off the walls and lamps fell from the lawyer's tables. Erin crouched down as a few seats tipped over. She wasn't fast enough in covering her head as the lamp from her table crashed towards her; she felt the sting of the metal base as it hit her in the side of the head before crashing to the floor. She gingerly touched her head as she became as small as possible, curled on the floor. She could feel a lump starting, but thankfully no blood. The shaking and vibrating seemed to go on forever.

Finally, the earth quieted. Crying still filled the air but at least the screaming had stopped. Erin got up as quickly as her throbbing head would allow; no one appeared to be seriously injured, although a few people were bleeding, and the witness on the stand sobbed as she held her ankle. Erin made her way over to her.

"Are you alright?" she asked the young woman.

"My ankle… I think it's broken." she sobbed. "I fell trying to get out of the box and it twisted… I thought I felt something snap…"

Erin was no doctor, but she could tell that the woman's foot was useless and the ankle was swelling badly. She motioned for a few male bystanders to come over. "It's okay, honey, we'll get you out of here, okay?" She got the men to lift her carefully, holding her leg steady and being careful not to jostle the injured limb. They moved towards the doors.

Erin took another look around the courtroom. The on-duty guards had handcuffed the man on trial and were taking him out the back. The judge was talking to the opposition lawyer and motioned her over.

"We'll postpone this until further notice. Expect at least a couple of weeks."

"Yes, Sir." she replied, giving the defense lawyer a searching look. There was no hint of smugness on his face, only fear. Much like what was on her own. She hurried down towards the doors; the courtroom had emptied out quickly, but the hallway was still full of chaos. No one wanted to stay in the building, but at the same time, no one was willing to leave without finding friends and colleagues. Erin made her way back up to her office.

It was a mess, but there wasn't too much damage. There was a large crack in the window, and several pictures had fallen off of the walls and her desk. The coffee that she had left there that morning had tipped over and spilled on to the floor. She rushed to her desk, unlocking the drawer that contained her purse. She reached for the phone on her desk, but there was no dial tone. That wasn't unexpected. Her fear increased when she realized that she had no cellphone signal, either. She couldn't contact anyone, and she had no idea where they were.

~~BB~~

Linda pushed her cart down the aisle of boxed and canned foods, grabbing up the soup cans that she needed. She checked her list; only eggs and milk remained. She was reaching for the cooler door when the power flickered, not once but twice, before staying off. Frowning, she paused, her hand on the handle. Was it worth it to grab perishables when she might not even be able to get through the checkout to pay for it? The stuff might as well stay as cold as possible.

She was just turning her cart around when the shaking started. The floor seemed to heave under her feet; screams from other customers filled the air as stuff fell off shelves, clattering to the floor. Cans rolled past her as she crouched down, staying next to a wall. Her heart thumped nervously as she prayed for the shaking to stop.

Finally, the vibrating slowed, then stopped. A harried employee knelt down next to her, asking if she was alright. She waved him off, quickly standing. She grabbed for her purse and her cellphone, but there was no signal. She watched as others tried in vain to make their phones work. She swallowed painfully.

She had no idea where the rest of her family was, or what they were doing.

~~BB~~

"Well, that was useless." Danny grumbled, making his way back to the car. Jackie followed a few feet behind.

"Reagan, do you hear that?"

Danny paused, frowning and feeling confused. "No… what am I supposed to be hearing?"

"Silence."

"What?" Danny asked again. He could hear nearby traffic, it definitely wasn't silent.

"The birds have stopped making noise." Jackie said, throwing him an annoyed look.

"There were birds before?" Danny muttered. Jackie groaned impatiently.

"Men, they never hear anything." she muttered to herself. "Yes, Reagan. There were birds, and now they're silent."

"Maybe they flew away." Danny supplied, giving her an odd look.

"Maybe." she grumbled. "Usually they go silent before a storm or…"

"Or what?"

"It can't be… it hasn't happened in well over one hundred years…"

"_What_?"

Jackie opened her mouth to answer him when the earth tore apart. They were both knocked to the ground. Danny crawled towards Jackie, trying to get over to her to shield her, but the ground was shaking too much to move. The pavement split right where Jackie was struggling to get back to her feet, large enough to knock her off-balance. The building they'd just exited from was dropping bricks and concrete around them. Somewhere, a window shattered…

Danny tried to stay on his feet as he half ran, half stumbled over to his partner. He was nearly there…

He was face first on the ground, his head throbbing and vision wavering…

Finally, the earth stilled. Danny sat up shakily, his hand pressed to his forehead where a gash bled alarmingly. Jackie hurried over to him, a few cuts and bruises visible over her pale skin.

"Reagan, are you okay?"

"Headache, Jack… I'll be fine." Danny groaned, pressing a tissue to his head. The bleeding wasn't as bad as he first thought, but it still didn't want to quit. "What happened?"

"A piece of concrete hit you. I tried calling out, but you didn't hear me."

Danny pulled out his cellphone with a shaking hand, groaning again in frustration. "No signal."

"Towers are probably down," Jackie answered, her voice betraying her fear. "We should get back to the station…"

Danny shook his head. "I need… I don't know where anyone else is, Jack… I need to go find them. My sons…"

"Danny, listen to me!" Jackie ordered, forcing him to look at her. "You said it yourself, you don't know where anyone else is. We need to regroup, and you need to get that head checked out. There are first aid kits back at the station, and some of the guys have taken extra medical training. It won't be the same as paramedics, but it's something. There's too much chaos going on right now. Let's start at the station and go from there."

Danny nodded. "Fine… you're right, Jack. I just can't stand not knowing."

"I know, Danny," she answered softly. "We'll find them, let's just keep a clear head."

Danny followed her back to the car, his heart thumping painfully.

~~BB~~

"Found anything?" Jamie asked, coming up behind Sean. Sean shook his head.

"No. I'm not interested right now."

Jack came around the corner of the bookshelf. "Same here, Uncle Jamie. I'm hungry, though."

"So am I." Sean butted in, looking expectantly at Jamie. Jamie laughed.

"Fine." he answered. "Let's go find Nicki, okay? We'll see where she's at then we can go get some lunch."

"Yay!" the boys squealed, gaining a dirty look from a nearby woman who was reading to her young son. Jamie gave her an apologetic look.

"Sorry, Ma'am. Guys, keep it quiet, okay? We're in a library."

"Told you libraries were boring." Sean muttered to his brother, who nodded in agreement. Jamie sighed, gently pushing them ahead of him.

The power flickered, causing them to look up at the lights. Sean stopped walking, shooting a fearful look at his brother. Jamie rested a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Sean. Just a power surge."

Sean nodded, turning forward again. The power flickered off.

"Uncle Jamie?" Jack squeaked.

"Let's just find Nicki…" Jamie started.

The building groaned as the floor shook. Shelves snapped as the windows shattered; books came crashing down around them. Jamie grabbed his nephews, pushing them to the floor and covering them with his body as he tried to cover his own head. Debris fell around them. Shelves crashed into one another. Screams from employees and patrons could be heard cutting through the air…

The shaking stopped, but the building continued to groan quietly. Heart pounding, Jamie eased up off of his nephews. Pain radiated in his lower back. Gingerly, he pressed a hand to his left side, biting his lip and pushing back a cry of pain. He pulled his hand away, reddened with blood. He tried to peer over his shoulder; all he could see was a patch of blood soaked into his shirt. He assumed that some of the falling shards of glass from the windows cut him as they fell. He grabbed his jacket, which he had removed earlier, and shook it out before putting it back on to cover the wound. He didn't want to scare his nephews.

"Are you two okay?" he asked, his voice shaking with nerves and adrenaline. The boys were both crying, and Jamie noticed small scrapes and bruises on their faces and hands, but otherwise they seemed unhurt. They nodded.

"We're fine, Uncle Jamie." Jack sniffed. "Where's Nicki? We hadn't found her yet!"

Jamie's heart thundered as he pulled his nephews to him. He glanced behind him, grateful to see the young mother with her son getting up. She was crying and her son was wailing, but neither looked overly hurt. She ran with him towards the front of the library, where the stairs would lead them outside. "Let's go find her, guys." he told them, trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice. He could only pray she wasn't hurt.

They moved forward, stepping around debris and fallen books and shelving units. They passed by the front checkout desk; Jamie pulled the boys to a stop. "Wait here, okay? Don't move!"

They looked confused and scared, but nodded. "Okay, Uncle Jamie."

Jamie hurried around to the other side of the desk. As he'd passed by, he'd looked behind it, noticing a young woman pinned beneath part of the desk. He knelt next to her; she didn't look much older than himself. Her eyes opened as he gently felt for a pulse.

"Help me…" she mumbled, tears leaking from her eyes. Jamie looked at the fallen part of the desk, swallowing at the blood he could see pooling underneath her. He couldn't tell what part of her had been injured, but he didn't want to risk moving the desk. He took her hand instead.

"What's your name, honey?" he asked, trying to keep her calm.

"Melissa." she mumbled.

"Melissa, I need you to stay calm, okay? Keep focused on me. You need to stay awake. Can you do that?"

"Sure…" she mumbled again. She looked at him fearfully. "My leg's gone numb… I can't feel it…" she whispered. He squeezed her hand.

"It'll be okay." he tried soothing her. He saw another employee edging his way over. Jamie motioned to him. "What's your name?"

"Devon."

"Devon, could you watch her, please? Keep her focused and awake. Keep her talking as much as you can. I'm going to try to find help. Can you do that?"

"Yes… I'll watch…" Devon stuttered nervously. Jamie nodded.

"Melissa, Devon will watch over you, okay? I want you to keep talking to him. Don't fall asleep. I'm going to try to find help to get you out of here. Do you understand?"

"Yeah…" Melissa answered, looking at him again. "Thank you…"

Jamie squeezed her hand again. "Just keep yourself alert and stay strong." he told her, moving back around to the other side of the desk where his nephews waited. He pulled them away, still heading for the other side of the library.

"Is she going to die?" Sean asked in a hushed voice. Jamie looked at him, startled.

"What? No, Sean, she's not going to die. We just need to get out of here and find help."

"But you didn't help her up… Dad always says it's not safe to move someone if you think that would injure them more." Jack said, his tone serious.

"Your father is right, guys, but she's going to be fine. The desk fell on her leg, and I didn't want to injure her further. If we can get out of here, the professionals who have the right equipment can free her."

The boys nodded. "Can we just find Nicki now?" Jack mumbled, looking teary again. Jamie hugged him, making sure to keep him away from his left side.

"Of course, Jack. She's our priority right now." he soothed, pushing them forward again. Other patrons of the library picked their way through the debris, rushing towards the stairs. There was still no sign of Nicki.

~~TBC~~

* * *

**A/N 2:** Yep, a natural disaster story. Earthquake to be exact. No, I'm not poking light at any of the disasters that have happened throughout the year - there have been so many in the news it's scary. Tornadoes in New York, floods and earthquakes and tropical storms... 30-plus tornadoes, including 5 in one day, where I live when the average is 12 per year... I've always wondered what would happen if a show centered around something like this, and of course I pose the question, what would any of us do? Would we be prepared? Can one _really_ be prepared? I know earthquakes aren't common in NY, but they're not impossible. I wanted to go with something that would hit with no advance notice - other disasters/storms often have warnings. So - coming up next, part 2! Will they find Nicki?


	2. Rescued?

Torn: Ready or Not

**Disclaimer:** Just borrowing, will return them later.

**A/N:** I am happy that people are enjoying it. :) Thanks so much to everyone! :) Anyway, I had intended on getting this out last night instead of tonight, but by the time I was sitting down to do it, I had pretty much entered zombie-land (more like "can't keep my eyes open" and "I'm going to bed" -land). So I'm trying again. ;) And clearly, I don't know much about the layout of NY... if I ever get the chance to visit, you'll probably find me somewhere in the middle of the city going "help, I'm so lost!" On the plus side, at least the point of the story is not about the layout of the city, so just bear with me. ;)

The start of this one is just odd to me - maybe it's a bit rushed or awkward, or maybe it's just me.

Anyway, please enjoy. :)

* * *

Chapter 2: Rescued?

Henry wandered around the front of the house, feeling nervous and lost. There wasn't much damage; only a few cracks were visible in the foundation. A patch would do the trick later on. He wandered around to the back; the patio was a disaster, but there wasn't much damage. Chairs and tables had been knocked over, and some plant pots had shattered, but the patio was still intact. In the yard, a few small plants had been uprooted, but the trees remained untouched. He watched as neighbours filed out of their houses, checking over their yards. No one seemed to have much damage. He prayed that it was like that all over the city.

~~BB~~

Erin wandered restlessly outside the courthouse. She didn't even know where to start. She kept checking her cellphone in vain; the signal was gone. She tried to keep her nervous tears at bay.

"Erin!"

She whipped around, sure that she was hearing things. She nearly burst into tears as she saw her father making his way through the panicked crowd. "Dad!"

"Erin, thank God you're alright!" Frank said, crushing her into a giant hug.

"I was in the courtroom when it happened," she sniffled. "A lamp hit me, but I'm not hurt." She gingerly touched the side of her head. "I have a goose egg, though."

Frank pulled her back into a hug. "I was in my office. I couldn't think of anything else to do but leave there and see if I could find you since our offices are so close by." He held her at arm's length. "You haven't come across anyone else, have you?"

"No," Erin replied, wiping at her eyes. "I don't even know where they would be."

"Jamie was looking after Nicki today, wasn't he?"

"Yes. Jack and Sean, too."

Frank opened his mouth when an officer came up to them. He looked expectantly at him. "Sergeant Carrier, have you heard anything?"

Carrier shook his head. "Radios are down too, Sir. But I've heard through word of mouth that the earthquake centered on the main business area of Manhattan… the library and surrounding businesses were hit the hardest. That's where our guys are headed right now, to survey the damage. I just thought you should know."

Frank nodded, immediately concerned with the sudden intake of breath from Erin. "Thank you, Sergeant." He turned to Erin. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"Jamie was taking Nicki and the boys to the library." Erin said, her voice weak. "Nicki wanted more information for her project. Dad, what if they're still there?"

Frank pulled her back into a hug, worry increasing ten-fold. "Then let's hope they wrapped up what they were doing and left a long time ago."

"But if I know Nicki…"

"Sweetheart, we can't jump to conclusions." Frank told her. "Is your car around?"

"Yes, parking lot out back. Why?"

"Let's go home, make sure Pops is okay. We can see if he's heard anything."

"But if they're at the library… Dad, I have to be there!" Erin pleaded, panic laced through her voice.

"Honey, there's not much we can do until we get a clear line of thought. I still hope I can contact Danny, find out where he's at. There's too much chaos. Let's start this with a clear head."

Erin nodded. "Okay… I hope you're right, Dad."

Frank pulled her around to the back parking lot, his arm firmly around her shoulder, his insides twisted with worry for his son and grandchildren.

~~BB~~

Danny sat, anxiously twitching his knee, as one of the female detectives cleaned the cut on his head and covered it as best she could. The bleeding had slowed right down on the drive back to the station.

"You should get this checked out as soon as possible, Reagan, but I think you'll live."

"Good to know." Danny snapped, before shooting her an apologetic look. "Sorry, Stacey. I'm just nervous."

"Your family?" she asked, looking sympathetic. He nodded. "I know, Reagan. They'll be okay."

"Thanks…"

"And we're all in the same boat, remember." she added, shooting him a look. He turned sheepish. He knew she had a husband and two young children to worry about.

"Yeah… sorry. We do what we can." he mumbled.

"Exactly." she replied, giving him a smile as she walked away. Jackie came back over.

"Danny, I think you should go check on any of your family that you think you can find. I'm going to stay here, see if anything comes through."

"Still haven't heard anything?"

"No… there's word going around that the business center of Manhattan was hit the hardest, but no one knows very much."

Danny nodded. "Alright… I'll go, but if I hear anything else, I'll come back."

"Sure, Reagan. Just go, find your family. And don't jump to conclusions."

"I've heard _that_ before." Danny muttered, grabbing his jacket and hurrying out the door.

Traffic was slow going with no power, but somehow he made it back to his father's house, relieved to see Erin's car already there. He got out, hurrying up the steps and pushing through the door.

"Dad?"

"Danny?" Frank called, rushing out to the entryway to see his son.

"Thank God…" Danny mumbled, seeing his father, grandfather, and sister standing there looking relatively unhurt. He hurried over to them, pulling Erin into a hug. "Have you heard from Jamie?"

"No…" Erin sniffled. "Danny… the library and surrounding buildings were hit the hardest…"

"Business center of Manhattan…" Danny mumbled to himself, fear piercing through him. "Where…"

"Danny?"

Danny whipped around, watching his wife rush through the door. "Linda!" he cried, grabbing her into a tight squeeze. He kissed her. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I was in the grocery store… there wasn't much damage, and no one was seriously hurt. Danny… where are the boys?"

"Still with Jamie, but we don't know if he was still at the library or if they'd left."

Linda covered her face, the adrenaline wearing off. She leaned towards Danny, who held her tightly. "Do you think they're okay?"

Danny swallowed, looking to his father for guidance. "Linda, honey… the library and surrounding area was hit the hardest. Word of mouth says that's the area where the epicenter was."

Linda looked at him in horror. "The boys… Nicki…" She turned to Erin, who was still doing her best to hide her tears. "Jamie… we don't even know if they're okay!"

"We're going to go back there, babe," Danny assured her. "Dad and I… the rest of you need to stay here…"

"Not a chance in Hell!" Henry burst out. "I'm not staying here if my grandson and great-grandchildren are in that building!"

"Pop," Frank hushed him. "Someone needs to stay here in case Jamie and the kids show up. Danny and I will head down there…"

"Dad, Grandpa is right," Erin broke in. "Nicki is a fanatic about her work… she isn't going to take twenty minutes and then be done."

"You really think they're still there, Erin?" Linda asked, her voice small.

Erin looked at her sadly. "I do. I know my daughter. And I know Jamie. They have the same work ethic, and he would want her to get as much information as possible. Nicki's never in the library for less than an hour. I can rarely get her out of there before two hours are up."

Danny nodded, giving in. "Fine, we'll all go. But no one separates once we're there!" He waited for everyone to agree before they all piled out of the house, Danny and Linda going in Danny's car and Erin, Frank and Henry piling into Erin's car. They started their slow journey to the center of the city.

~~BB~~

Jamie didn't know how it was possible, but the other side of the library was in even worse shape than where he just came from. He put out his hand to stop his nephews.

"Wait, guys. It doesn't look safe over here. Go stand just over there, okay? The stairs are close by. I'll be right back."

"Don't leave us, Uncle Jamie." Sean whined.

"He needs to find Nicki, Sean." Jack mumbled. He nodded at his uncle. "Okay, we'll stay here." He looked terrified.

"It'll be okay," Jamie soothed, trying to keep the tension out of his voice. "I'm going to find her, then we can get out of here." He waited until they nodded, then turned back towards the destruction. "Nicki?" he called. "Can you hear me?"

All he heard was silence. Finally, he heard a sound from several feet away. A sound welcome to his ears.

"Uncle Jamie?"

"Nicki!" Jamie breathed. "Where are you? Are you hurt?"

"Not badly," she called back. "It's too dark… I can't find my way out."

"Follow my voice, Nick." Jamie replied, walking further into the debris. He could see movement ahead of him. She was walking tentatively over the fallen ceiling pieces, books, and bookshelves that littered the floor. Once she made her way to where there were a few windows, she picked up the pace. Jamie reached towards her to help her over the last few steps, immediately crushing her into a hug. She clung to him, tears soaking through his shirt.

"I was over on the far side of the building… there are no windows." she sobbed. "I was just getting ready to find you," she added, indicating the dusty backpack she had on her back. "I've got my books signed out…"

Jamie couldn't help but smile. "I don't think they're going to worry right now about whether you've signed out your books or not."

She nodded, wiping her face before leaning back towards her uncle. She heard him stop a hiss as she felt him stiffen; her hug had clearly hurt him. She looked at him, alarmed. "You're hurt, Uncle Jamie!" she cried as she tried to see where he was injured. He quickly tightened his hold on his jacket, pulling it back into place.

"It's okay, Nicki. It's nothing."

"You're bleeding!" she told him, spotting a small patch of blood on his shirt before he'd closed his jacket.

"Don't worry, Nicki." Jamie repeated. "I don't want to scare the boys." he added quietly. She nodded in understanding. He seemed to be moving okay, so maybe he wasn't hurt badly. At least, that's what she tried to comfort herself with since she knew nothing.

"We need to go…" she mumbled, scared of the broken building that seemed to creak and groan under their feet. He nodded in agreement, pulling her with him back towards the boys where they waited, terrified yet patient.

"Nicki!" Jack cried out, spotting them. Sean made a move towards them, grinding to a halt when Jamie put up his hand.

"Don't, Sean!" he ordered firmly. "It's not safe. I want you guys to start moving to the stairs. They're right there, okay? Can you do that?"

They nodded. "You're coming, right Uncle Jamie?" Jack asked, his voice timid.

"Of course, Jack." Jamie soothed him. "I need you to start moving. This building isn't stable. We'll be right behind you."

They nodded again, shakily inching their way to the stairs. They'd barely hit the first step when the ground seemed to rumble and groan. Fearfully, they turned to Jamie and Nicki.

The ground buckled beneath them….

Slowly, they looked up; Jack had squashed Sean flat on the steps, throwing himself on top of him, doing the best he could with his small body to protect his brother. Once the shaking had stopped, he moved off of Sean. Sean was nearing hysterics because of fear. Jack tried to hush him.

"Sean, stop it! This isn't helping." Jack told him, shaking him roughly. He knew he was overdoing it, as Sean slapped him away, but he felt desperate. He didn't know what to do, and he didn't know how close his uncle and cousin had gotten to them when the aftershocks started. "Let's see if Uncle Jamie and Nicki are here, okay?" Sean nodded in agreement, shakily getting to his knees as he tried to stem the flow of tears.

"I want Mom and Dad…" he mumbled. Jack pretended not to hear him, but he wanted the exact same thing. They peered over the top step.

"I don't see them…" Jack mumbled.

"Where are they?" Sean asked. "Uncle Jamie said they'd be right behind us!"

"He wouldn't lie!" Jack stuttered angrily at his brother, hearing the accusing tone in Sean's voice.

"So where are they?" Sean asked again. Jack got up, half crawling towards the area he'd seen them. His heart pounded at the amount of debris; it looked like the entire west side of the building had collapsed… were they under all of that? Were they trapped there, never able to get out?

~~BB~~

The destruction was bad enough that the roads were impassible. Both sets of Reagan cars had to be parked blocks away from the center of the business district, forcing them to walk and carefully pick their way through the panicked crowds and ruined streets and buildings.

"This is just a dream…" Erin mumbled to herself. "This can't have happened…"

No one answered, but her words echoed their thoughts. Their bustling city had been thrown into chaos.

"Tell me that's not the library…" Linda choked off, staring at the building; it had crumbled piece by piece on the outside, and the west side of the library looked like it had caved in. The surrounding buildings were no better.

"It is." Danny replied, his voice barely above a whisper. He tried to collect his spinning thoughts. "Does anyone see Jamie's car?" he asked as they passed through the parking lot. There were several cars still parked in the lot, but none were recognizable as Jamie's classic.

"No." Frank replied, feeling some relief.

"Yes."

They turned to Erin, who was standing stock still and staring at the far corner of the lot.

Danny sucked in a breath as he nervously chewed on his bottom lip. "He's going to be pissed…" he mumbled.

Jamie had parked too close to the building, though he couldn't have known it at the time; two large pieces of concrete had fallen from the building. One had smashed through the front window, the second landing on the trunk of the car, putting a large dent into the metal.

Of course, they were not really worried about the car…

~~BB~~

Jamie took a sharp breath as he came back to reality. His vision wavered in and out of focus as he pressed his palms into his eyes, trying to gain his bearings. He was on his back, and there wasn't much light around. The wound in his back still throbbed, and a pain in his left leg wasn't helping matters.

He heard something farther off to his right, something that sounded like sobbing. Easing up into a sitting position, he noticed more blood on his pants, which were ripped. He could tell this wound was deeper, but he did his best to ignore it. He looked up; the floor must have caved in with the weight of the fallen debris, causing them to fall into the basement of the library. He must have cut his leg on the way down.

"Nicki! Where are you?" he called out, his voice hoarse.

"Here, Uncle Jamie." Nicki mumbled somewhere off to his right. "I didn't think you were going to wake up…" she continued, a sob still in her voice.

He inched his way over to her. "How long was I out?"

"Just a few minutes." she mumbled again. It was then, in the weak light filtering from above, that he noticed she was gripping her ankle, her knuckles white. Her face and hands were covered in tiny slivers and cuts and her skin was pale.

"Are you alright?" he asked her quietly. She shook her head.

"My ankle really hurts…"

"Let me see," he said, reaching towards her. She regarded him wearily. "Nick, I can't see what's wrong if you don't show me." She sighed, nodding. She released her tight grip, extending out her leg. Jamie gently prodded her ankle and foot. "It's swollen. Can you move it at all?"

"A little, but it really hurts." she answered, showing him. She could move it quite well, but her face paled even more with the pain.

"I think it's just sprained, Nick. Do you think you can walk? We really need to find a way out…"

"Uncle Jamie! Nicki!" a small voice yelled from above them, cutting off Jamie's words. Jamie looked up, alarmed, and watched as two small blond heads peered through the damaged floorboards. "Are you two okay?"

"Jack, Sean, move away from there!" Jamie's voice came out harsher than he intended. "It's dangerous." he added, his voice softer this time. They obediently moved away. "Can you still see the stairs?"

"Yes." Jack called back. "They're not blocked."

"Good. Keep moving. The doors are at the bottom of the stairs, remember?"

"Yeah, but we can't just leave you down there!"

"You have no choice, kiddo." Jamie called back. "We'll try to find a way out, but we can't follow you. If you go outside, you can find some help. Don't dawdle!"

"Yes, Uncle Jamie." Jack said. He could be heard talking to his brother. "Come on, Sean, we need to go get some help!"

Jamie turned back to Nicki, gingerly standing up and putting weight on his injured leg. It hurt, but he could manage. He didn't like the rate at which it was bleeding, though. "Come on, Nicki, we need to get out of here. Can you stand?"

She nodded, easing to her feet. Slowly, she added weight to her ankle, nearly collapsing once her foot was flat on the floor. She tottered as Jamie grabbed onto her, preventing her from falling. "If I stay on my toes, it's okay. I can walk."

"Alright," Jamie agreed, keeping an arm around her shoulders. "I'll stay right here."

"Okay," she agreed. "But what about you? You're bleeding again…"

"It's fine," he told her. "Let's just go…"

"That doesn't _look_ fine!" she argued.

"Nicki." he said, a note of warning in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Jamie." she said, embarrassment colouring her tone as a small blush covered her cheeks. "I'm scared…"

"I know," he said, giving her a small squeeze. "So am I." He led her towards the nearest door, partially blocked but still with enough room for them to squeeze out into the hallway. "The stairs must be close by here. If we can reach them, we can get to the doors and get outside." He waited for her to nod before he gently pulled on her arm, leading her to what he hoped was the front of the building.

~~BB~~

"Commissioner!"

Frank turned to an officer that was hurrying towards them. The chaos had increased outside; lights flashed as police cars, ambulances, and firetrucks filled the street, and uniformed men and women rushed about.

"Has anyone been brought out from the library?" he asked.

"Two people," The officer replied. "Two employees. The female was badly injured, and they just rushed her to the hospital moments ago. The young man went with her."

"No one else?"

"No…" he replied, hesitating. "Why, Sir?"

Frank lowered his voice. "My son and three grandchildren are still in there," he said. "My son's car is in the parking lot. Why isn't anyone going in?"

The officer regarded him carefully before glancing at the rest of the family standing behind Frank. He glanced back at the Commissioner nervously. "I understand, Sir… but it's dangerous in there. The last aftershock damaged the stability of the structure. It could collapse into itself at any time."

Frank swallowed. "What aftershock?"

"About twenty minutes ago, Sir." The officer replied. "Didn't you feel it?"

"That was when we were driving here, Dad." Danny broke in, sidling up to them. "We had to park several blocks away because the roads were so bad."

The officer nodded. "The worst of it was right here, and it took forever to get the emergency vehicles in here."

"We probably didn't notice much, both because we were driving and because we were far enough away from it." Frank mumbled to Danny. "Isn't there any way we can get a team in there?"

"We're working on it, Sir." The officer told him, looking sympathetic. "We're doing the best we can."

"I know you are." Frank replied. "Thank you, Officer."

The officer nodded again before hurrying off to join his coworkers. Danny turned to Frank just as a few shocked, excited voices started shrieking from the bottom of the library steps.

"They're children!" shouted one.

"Get them out of there!" shouted another.

Both Frank and Danny whipped towards the building, just in time to see two young blond boys struggling to push open the doors, which had been partially blocked.

"Jack! Sean!" Linda cried, racing towards the doors.

"Linda!" Danny hollered, pushing past his father as he chased after his wife. Other officers and firefighters were also hurtling towards the building, moving bits of concrete. One firefighter pulled the last chunk away as another ripped open the doors, catching the two boys as they tumbled out.

Sean burst into tears as he spotted his mother, breaking free of the fireman's grasp. He raced towards her, practically jumping at her as he flew into her arms. Jack pushed away from the man and raced towards them just as Danny got there. Danny grabbed him up, squeezing him tightly, as Frank, Henry, and Erin made their way over. Danny carefully set Jack on his feet, kneeling down so that he was eye level with his son.

"Jack, where are Uncle Jamie and Nicki?" he asked. Jack lip quivered as he pointed towards the library.

"They fell."

"What do you mean, kiddo?" Danny asked, nervousness creeping its way into the back of his throat.

"We were on the stairs. Uncle Jamie and Nicki were somewhere behind us when the shaking started again. When we got up, they'd disappeared. Everything was a mess, and the floor had caved in. They fell."

Danny shared a look with his father. "Jack, did you talk to them?"

"Yes. Uncle Jamie said they'd try to find a way out and that we were to keep moving."

Danny felt some relief. At least they were alive. "Good. Come on, let's get you guys checked out, okay?" Jack nodded, clinging to Danny's hand. Linda carried Sean, who was still crying, over to the waiting paramedics. Erin pulled her father aside.

"Dad, we need to get them out!"

"Honey, they're alive." Frank assured her. "I'm sure the fire crew is working on a plan as we speak."

Erin nodded. "I know, I just… I can't stand this…"

Frank pulled her into a hug. "I know. I know you're worried about Nicki, and I know you're worried about Jamie. So am I." Frank fought to keep his emotion in check. "I can't stand the thought of losing them, but they'll make it out of this. We have to believe that."

"I do, Dad… it's just hard… there's barely anything left of the building!"

Frank nodded in agreement, fear still choking him. "Look, I think they're forming a team to go in. They're gathering, at least."

They watched as members of the various fire halls around the city gathered, forming into teams and assessing the building. Finally, the first team pushed through the doors.

"Thank God…" Danny mumbled from behind them. Frank turned to him…

The ground ripped open a third time…

~~BB~~

"Uncle Jamie, no offense, but you're heavy…" Nicki grumbled. They were leaning on each other for support as they slowly made their way towards the stairs that would lead them outside.

Jamie smirked. "Sorry, kiddo. It happens when you get older." he joked, earning a small smile from her. Truthfully, he was tired. The lack of sleep and his injuries were sapping the energy out of him, and he could tell she was no better as she limped beside him. "It's not far, now. Let's keep moving." He pulled her gently as he felt her slow down. He could see a thin stream of light and knew the stairs were just ahead of them.

The doors to the basement were open, having been propped open earlier that morning. They could see that the stairs were littered with pieces of concrete and glass, and the doors were partially blocked by fallen beams, but they could both fit through. They were only a few feet away…

More beams snapped as the earth showed her rage…

Jamie had shoved Nicki to the ground, leaning over her to protect her from anything that might fall. He raised himself shakily, quickly helping her to her feet. Thankfully, the shaking had lasted only a few seconds, and not much had fallen on them. The same couldn't be said for the doorway.

"There's no way I'll fit through that space…" Jamie mumbled, feeling dismayed. He turned to Nicki. "Honey, you have to go through alone. You can fit, I know you can."

"What?" Nicki stared at him, shocked. "No! Uncle Jamie, I'm not going to leave you in here!"

"Nicki, you have to. Go outside and find help."

"Uncle Jamie…"

"Nicki, if we both stay here, we could both die!" Jamie told her, his voice harsher than he knew it should be. He needed her to understand. "If you go, you can get help back to me. I'm not going to let you get hurt, okay?" She kept staring at him stubbornly, tears leaking from her eyes, but he could see the battle she was fighting with herself. "Please, Squirtbrain? For me?"

Nicki couldn't help but let out a small laugh as her eyes filled with tears. He hadn't called her that pet name in years. He had branded her with it when she was four years old. Her favourite toy had been a water bottle filled with water, and she would squirt anyone in range. After the hundredth time of receiving a shot in the face, he'd finally snapped and called her squirtbrain. Of course, she'd cried at the time and definitely remembered her mother tearing into her uncle, but it quickly became an endearing term and it stuck. Only a short year later, though, and he'd stopped using it.

"I love you, Uncle Jamie." she told him, hugging him tightly. He hugged her back.

"I love you too, Nicki." he replied. "Go, get help. Don't hesitate, and don't worry about me. I'll be okay."

She nodded, not fully convinced. She hurried as quickly as her injured ankle would allow, reaching the tiny space in the doorway. "Don't go anywhere." she joked.

He smiled back, watching as she squeezed through the opening, barely fitting through. He could hear her careful steps towards the stairs. He thought he could hear noise, but wasn't sure what it was; his ears were still ringing from the last aftershock, and there was a lot of pressure in his head which wasn't helping anything. He eased himself onto a dusty bench across from the doorway to wait, not knowing if this was the end of the line or not. He could only pray.

~~BB~~

The family huddled around one of the ambulances where a paramedic was checking Jack and Sean for injuries. They had found nothing more than cuts and bruises, but wanted to take them into the hospital for further examination. Danny insisted that no one was going anywhere until the whole family had been reunited. Since the boys seemed okay, the paramedics agreed.

There was a flurry of excitement over by the doors; a crowd of firefighters were making their way back out of the building, hauling Nicki with them. Erin shrieked and took off towards them. Nicki burst into tears and pulled away from her rescuer. Her ankle prevented her from running, but she hobbled as quickly as she could towards her mother, who grabbed her up into a tight squeeze, the rest of the family crowding around them.

"Nicki!"

"How'd you get out?"

"Where's Jamie?"

"Are you okay?"

"Quiet!" Frank snapped. "Let her breathe, and let her get checked out!" He gently wrapped his granddaughter in a hug, pulling her over to the waiting ambulance where the boys were still sitting. He sat her down, and a medic immediately began looking her over. Erin sat on her other side, tightly gripping her hand.

"Honey, are you okay?"

"I'll be fine, Mom." Nicki sniffed. "Uncle Jamie… you have to get back in there! He's hurt!"

"Where is he, Nick?" Danny asked. "How badly is he hurt?"

"He's in the basement." Nicki answered. "We fell after the first aftershock, and the second one blocked the doors to the stairs. There was just enough room for me to get through, and he told me to go. He's bleeding really bad!" Nicki said, clutching at her mother. "You have to get back in there!" she repeated, starting to feel hysterical.

"It's okay, Nicki!" Erin soothed. "They'll get him out."

"Where was he bleeding?" Danny asked, sitting down on her other side. The paramedic had finished wrapping her ankle and was giving the family time to talk.

"He had a cut on his lower back after the quake first hit. It didn't look too bad. After we fell, his left leg was gashed pretty badly. It was bleeding a lot. And he…" Nicki's voice faded, a sob stuck in her throat.

"He what, sweetheart?" Frank prodded gently.

"He was completely out for several minutes. I downplayed it for him when he asked, but it was nearly ten minutes."

"Head injury." Frank muttered quietly. Danny nodded.

"Concussion, most likely."

"I couldn't do anything." Nicki continued quietly. "I couldn't move my foot very well, and I'm not strong enough to move him… I thought…"

"You thought what, Nick?" Erin asked.

"I couldn't get to him… I thought he was dead…" Nicki sobbed, leaning into her mother. Erin's eyes filled as she hugged her daughter tightly. Danny squeezed her hand before moving and motioning Frank over to him. They walked away from the ambulance, Danny waving over another police officer and a firefighter, both of whom he knew well.

"Reagan," the firefighter greeted, shaking Danny's hand. "I wish it was better circumstances."

"So do I, Phil." Danny answered. He turned to the officer. "Renzulli." he greeted.

"Reagan." Tony answered, giving him a small smile before turning to Frank. "Commissioner."

"Sergeant." Frank greeted.

"Reunited with your family?" Phil asked.

"All but one." Danny answered. He locked eyes with Tony. "Jamie's still in there."

Tony's eyebrows raised as he glanced back at the building. "Do you know his condition?"

Danny hesitated as he glanced back at Nicki, who was still leaning on her mother. "He's badly injured, according to Nicki. Bleeding heavily and likely has a concussion. And he's trapped; they fell into the basement and after the second aftershock, the doors to the stairs were blocked. He couldn't fit and forced Nicki to go alone to get help."

Tony nodded. "Sounds like Jamie…" he said quietly. He and Phil exchanged looks.

"What?" Danny asked. "What was that look for?"

"Danny…" Tony said, reaching out a placating hand. He glanced at Frank wearily. "Commissioner… the structure is too weak… they're not going to risk sending anyone in."

"_What_?" Danny asked, his voice hollow. "But… there could be more people in there!"

Tony shook his head. "Most got out after the initial quake. Two employees were brought out shortly after the first aftershock." He closed his eyes briefly, scrubbing a hand over his face wearily. "It isn't worth risking more lives for one person."

"You _know_ this, Danny," Phil added. "We'll risk our own safety for those who can be saved, but not for a lost cause."

"Jamie is _not_ a _lost cause_!" Danny hissed.

"The building is too unstable and his chance of survival is low, you said it yourself that he's bleeding heavily!" Phil argued. "I'm sorry, Danny, I really am… but I cannot send half a dozen of my men and women to their possible deaths!"

"Tony!"

Tony shook his head. "I'm sorry Danny… he's right…"

"Dad?"

Frank pressed his lips together before sighing. The words felt like mud in his mouth. "They're right, Danny… we don't risk our own lives for one person when it's not worthwhile…"

"Uncle Jamie _is_ worthwhile!" Nicki shrieked. No one had seen her approach them. "You have to go back in there!" she screamed. "You _can't_ let him die, Uncle Danny, you _can't_!"

Frank grabbed her, hugging her and trying to pull her away at the same time. He glanced back towards the ambulance, watching as Linda wrapped her arms around her boys. Henry looked towards him, glaring, before turning an accusatory glance on to Danny, Phil, and Tony. Erin approached them, a few tears running down her face.

"Come on, Nick, let's go sit down, okay?"

"No!" Nicki shrieked again. "Uncle Danny, _do_ something! You can't leave him down there!"

Danny reached towards her. "Nicki, I'm doing everything I can, but I need you to help me, okay? It would help me if you'd go sit down again… I don't want you injuring yourself further."

Nicki glared at him, mumbling something unintelligible before stalking back towards the ambulance as fast as her taped up ankle would allow. Erin followed after her, glaring at Danny before turning her back. Frank sighed.

"That wasn't necessary, Danny."

"You have a way with people, Reagan." Tony muttered.

"She doesn't need to hear any more than she already has." Danny said, his tone clipped. "We need to figure out what we're going to do to get my brother out of there."

Tony sighed. "Reagan…"

"No. I am _not_ giving up."

"Danny…"

"Dad, you can't possibly be saying what I _think_ you're saying!" Danny snapped. "This is _Jamie_ we're talking about, not some random stranger! You _can't_ be thinking of leaving him in there?!"

Frank swallowed. "I don't _want_ to give up," he told him, his voice low and cold. "You _know_ that, Daniel. My youngest son is in there; don't you _ever_ think that I am going to just walk away from him, or from _anyone_ is this family. But I have to look at this professionally. I cannot, in good conscience, send more men and women of this city, those who I am responsible for, into a building that will collapse at any moment. Phil is right, Danny. We are not supposed to risk our lives when the outcome is grim."

Danny shook his head. "I know, Dad… I just can't let him die without giving it a chance. Phil, come on," he pleaded, turning to his friend. "You went into a burning building for _your_ brother…"

"Probably the dumbest thing I could have done my entire career. The building was lost. He was a rookie, and had made a mistake. It cost him."

"And yet you went in."

"We both could have died."

"You're both alive."

"He had to retire before he even got started. I was just inches from death."

"But you're both alive." Danny repeated. "I'd rather Jamie retire early from the force than have him brought out a week from now in a body bag."

Phil sighed. "Then what do you want to do?"

"I'm going in."

"Danny, no!" Frank barked. "I will _not_ lose _both_ of my sons!"

"Dad, I'm going to get him out, I promise!" Danny told him. "I'll get both of us out. I'm _not_ leaving him!"

Frank stared at his son. He could see the determination on his face and knew there was no point in arguing. He turned to pleading instead.

"Danny," he started, pulling him aside. "I've already lost Joe. I feel like I'm losing Jamie… if you go in there I'll lose you, too. Don't do this. Don't do this to Linda and your boys… you'll leave her without a husband and your boys without a father… don't break this family apart more than has already been done. Please, Danny…"

Danny's throat squeezed. "I get it, Dad. I honestly do… but I can't leave him in there when there's still a chance. The longer we leave him, the more chance there is he'll bleed out… but as far as we know, he's still alive. We're wasting time. He's not far… please, give me a chance to get him out of there!"

Frank stared hard at him, finally lowering his gaze. He nodded. "Be careful, Danny."

"Thank you, Dad… I promise, I'll bring him out." Danny said, swallowing thickly.

"You're not going in alone, Reagan."

"Phil?" Danny asked, turning to him. "What do you mean?"

"I'm going with you."

"I thought…"

"Then I guess this is the second stupidest thing I've done." Phil shrugged. "I know how you feel, Danny. I've been there, remember? I may not agree with what you're doing from a professional stance, but I agree with where your thinking is coming from, from a family stance, that is."

"I'm going, too." Tony cut in.

"Tony, you have a wife at home…"

"I know, and if I die I'll come back and haunt you. Your life will be hell, Reagan." Tony smirked. "But this is Jamie we're talking about. I agree with you. If there's still a chance we can get him out, I'm not leaving him either."

"Sergeant, you're under my command." Frank interrupted. "I can't send you in there…"

"Commissioner, with all due respect, Jamie isn't just my partner. He isn't just someone I've trained. He's one of my best friends, and I can't leave him to die…"

Frank sighed. He could see the stubbornness written on Renzulli's face. He could also see the pain and the emotion fighting over his features. "Fine… you have a go. But you… _all_ of you… get yourselves out of there if it looks like the building is going to collapse. Do not waste time." Frank paused, swallowing the lump in his throat before continuing, his voice hoarse. "Even if it means you have to leave Jamie in there."

They glanced at each other before glancing back at Frank. "Yes, Sir." they echoed. "I've got to let Linda know…" Danny mumbled, heading back towards the ambulance. The other two nodded before going back to their coworkers to explain the situation.

"Linda," Danny said, pulling her off to the side towards the front of the ambulance. "Honey, I'm going after Jamie."

Linda looked at him, feeling confused before realization hit. Horror crossed her features. "Danny, no!" she hissed. "That building is about to crumble in on itself! If you go in there you could die!"

"Linda, I have to!"

"I know it's your brother." she hissed again, trying to keep her voice down. "I _know_ it's Jamie, but why are you risking it? Are you _that_ willing to leave your sons without a father? Are you willing to leave _me_?"

"No, babe, I'm not!" Danny mumbled back. "But there's still a chance I can get him out of there. Phil and Tony are going with me." He pulled her into a hug. "I promised Dad… we all promised him that we'll leave if it looks too unstable, even if it means we have to leave Jamie behind."

Linda hugged him back. "Oh Danny, I'm sorry… I know how this must hurt…"

"Of course it does." Danny answered, giving her a squeeze. "But I have to try." He paused, glancing upward into the sky, a sky that was clear and blue. It didn't fit the chaos down below. "And I know I might have to leave him. It kills me, but I won't leave you and the boys."

"You can't promise that."

"I can try."

Linda looked up at him, her eyes teary. "I love you, Danny. Please be careful."

"I love you, too, Linda." he replied, kissing her slowly. He pulled away, resting his forehead against hers. "I have to go…"

"I know." she answered, resting her cheek on his chest. He nodded before reluctantly releasing her. He gave her another kiss before steeling himself and hurrying back around the ambulance. Linda remained behind, wiping tears off of her face.

"I'll kill you if you die, Danny." she mumbled to herself, hugging her arms to her chest. She sent up a silent prayer.

Danny rounded the side of the ambulance, causing his family to look up.

"What's going on, Uncle Danny?" Nicki asked.

"We're going to try to get Jamie out of there." he answered her, looking at each of the adult members of his family in turn. They seemed to understand what he was saying. He knelt down next to his sons.

"Are _you_ going in, Dad?"

Danny hesitated. "Yes, Jack. But only if it's safe enough." He paused, taking a breath. "I want you two to be good, okay? You listen to anything your mother tells you. Don't bug Nicki too much either, okay? She's still hurting, and I give her permission to smack you if you annoy her." he teased, shooting a smirk at Nicki. She smiled back, but her smile wavered as tears leaked out of her eyes. "I love you, both of you, very much." His voice cracked on the last few words as he drew his sons into a tight squeeze. They hugged him back.

"Love you too, Dad." Jack mumbled, stepping back. Sean just climbed into his lap.

"Don't leave." he sniffed.

"Sean, I'm just going to assess the situation, okay buddy? We're going to try to rescue your Uncle Jamie."

Sean nodded against his chest but refused to let go. Danny sighed tearfully. Linda knelt down next to them, her eyes watery.

"Come, Sean. Your father needs to get going." she told him, softly. "He'll be careful. He's promised. Right, Danny?"

"Of course." Danny answered her. "I love you, buddy."

"Love you, Daddy." Sean mumbled, finally letting go. Danny nodded, wiping his eyes as he stood up. He hugged Linda again before looking each family member in the eyes. They nodded at him in understanding. Erin let out a choked sob before trying to hide it. Nicki leaned into her, offering comfort where she could. Danny turned to his father.

"Dad…"

"I know, Danny." Frank sighed, grasping his shoulder. "Be safe, okay?"

"I promise, Dad." he nodded, finally slipping away to join Phil and Tony, who were standing among a group of officers and firefighters as they were assessed of the situation. He took a deep breath; it was now or never.

~~TBC~~

* * *

Up next, Part 3 - will they find Jamie in time? Will they get him out?


	3. Realizations

Torn: Ready or Not

**Disclaimer:** Insert standard disclaimer here...

**A/N:** To Guest (the first one) if you're here to read this: Actually, they _do_ risk their safety for saveable lives/property, they _might_ risk their safety for lives/property that have the potential to be saved, but they _will not_ risk their safety for lives/property that are lost. Clearly, they had to put their heads together first to assess/determine what the situation was - and determined it was too risky. However, obviously Danny doesn't care how rubble-y the building looks because he's going in anyway - he's still thinking somewhere between categories 1 and 2. I'm sorry you feel the way you do but hey, at least you gave it a try, right? That counts. :)

Thanks to everyone for their reviews! :) I was going to wait a bit to post this one, but I have to work a graveyard shift (sort of) the night I was planning on finishing the story, so I'll just do everything a day earlier instead. ;)

Enjoy! :)

* * *

Chapter 3: Realizations

It felt like hours since Nicki had left. He hadn't heard anything, so he assumed she must have gotten out safely. Yet, no one had returned.

Jamie sighed. He felt tired and cold. His jacket had had a large tear in it, so he'd torn a large chunk of material from it to wrap around his leg. It helped, but he knew it wasn't good enough. He needed to get out of there.

Slowly he moved over to the doors, pressing wearily on a few of the broken boards. Nothing moved, and he wasn't too keen on just pulling material aside; he knew he could bring the whole thing down on himself. He glanced through the open space that Nicki had squeezed through. He could still see thin light filtering from where the doors would be at the top of the stairs. The stairs themselves didn't look like they were in bad shape. He pulled again on a few of the boards, his heart thumping when a couple of them moved. Nothing collapsed. He pulled again, more forcefully this time, pulling a board free. He froze at a few creaks and cracks, but still nothing collapsed. He grabbed another board…

He jumped back when the blockage fell inwards, stumbling and tripping over a piece of concrete behind him. He landed hard, knocking the wind out of himself. Gasping for air, he reassessed the damage; the debris in front of the door had moved, but the doorway was still blocked. His back and leg throbbed. He let out a breath, allowing himself to lay flat. His head still throbbed in time with his heartbeat. He closed his eyes, easing the pain from the dust.

He told himself he would just rest for a few minutes before trying again.

~~BB~~

"This just isn't safe." Phil mumbled, staring at the doors.

"I know." Danny answered. Phil glanced at him.

"You won't change your mind, will you?"

"No."

"I get it." Phil sighed. He glanced over at Tony. "Ready?"

"For Jamie." Tony answered. Danny nodded in agreement.

"Alright." Phil agreed. He turned to his men, plus the small group of officers and paramedics that stood at the ready. "Be ready to hand over any equipment we may need. I'm counting on you to get it to us immediately. I'll be waiting at the stairs, so don't come in." he told his men. He turned to the paramedics. "We'll need you, so gather everything." They nodded, already standing by with stretchers and other medical equipment. Renzulli took over, making eye contact with his fellow officers.

"I can't ask you to go in there… but we'll need you out here." He glanced at Danny's family, standing by the ambulance and watching with fearful looks on their faces. He watched as crowds of still-stunned bystanders gathered. "Keep them back. If this place collapses… let's keep anyone else from being injured." The officers muttered their agreement.

"Okay," Phil continued. He turned to Danny and Tony. "Ready?"

"Yeah…" Danny mumbled. Tony bit his lip nervously, but nodded.

"Then let's go."

Danny shot one more look at his father, nodding at him, before turning and following the other two men into the building.

~~BB~~

Jamie struggled to open his eyes. He couldn't understand why he felt so sluggish. He'd only been resting for a few seconds… hadn't he?

He heard a noise from somewhere at his feet. It sounded far away, like a scraping noise. He wanted it to go away; all it did was hurt his head.

"Jamie!"

Now he was hearing things.

"Jamie, dammit, answer me!"

"Danny?" he mumbled weakly, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Try moving those boards, they don't look like they're too tightly wound together." That same voice, the one that sounded so much like his brother's continued to talk to… someone. "Jamie! Answer me!"

Jamie coughed slightly. "Danny?" he tried again, a little louder. He could still hear voices, and he was starting to think he was hallucinating. A grinding noise could be heard, but he didn't know what it was.

"I can see him!" A different voice called out. That one sounded a lot like his partner.

"Jamie! _Say_ something…" the first voice pleaded. "Phil, hurry up!"

"If I go any faster, this place could fall around our ears!" a third voice – Phil – argued back. "Give me some time."

"Jamie doesn't _have_ any time!" Danny snapped.

"Danny, calm down, that's not helping anything."

"I know, Tony… but why hasn't Jamie said anything?"

Jamie groaned in frustration. Was Danny deaf or something? He'd called out to him already. At least, he _thought_ he had. He cleared his throat again.

"Danny…"

"Jamie? Thank God… Jamie, hold on, okay? We're trying to get in there as fast as we can."

Jamie grunted something unintelligible. He didn't know why his body was so heavy. He wanted to move so that he could help his brother move the debris, but his muscles didn't want to do more than twitch.

"Phil, I think that's good, I can get through that space." Danny continued.

"That's good enough for _you_, maybe…" Tony grumbled, earning an amused snort from his friends.

"Then you should stay in shape." Danny said sarcastically. "Look, I need to get in there. Phil, keep trying to clear away some of the debris so we can get a stretcher down here. I just need to see him."

"I get it, Danny… I'll keep working on it." Phil told him, lightly slapping Danny's shoulder.

Danny eased his way through the small space. He nearly got stuck, but managed. Tony was right, it really wasn't big enough. He sighed, quickly crawling over to where his brother lay on his back, face pale and stained with dirt, sweat, and blood. His eyes were closed. Danny gently touched his face, relieved to see his eyes flicker open.

"Danny?"

"Hey, kid… nice to finally see you."

Jamie smirked slightly. "What's going on?"

"We're getting you out of here. Can you move?"

Jamie frowned. "Not well… I'm so tired…"

Danny squeezed his arm. "I know, Jamie. Just stay focused on me, okay?" He turned back to the hole to see Phil move several more pieces. Tony was able to get through easily.

"Get a stretcher down here!" Phil shouted back up to where another firefighter was waiting at the top of the stairs by the door.

"Damn…" Tony mumbled to himself, taking in his friend's appearance. Jamie smirked tiredly.

"Nice to see you too, Sarge…" he grumbled hoarsely.

"Sorry, Jamie. Didn't mean that in a bad way…" Tony grinned weakly. He swallowed at the amount of blood Jamie was losing, exchanging a look with Danny.

"They're picking their way into the building. I'm going to meet them." Phil called. Danny nodded.

"Make it fast, Phil."

"I really don't like it in here," Tony grumbled. "Everything's creaking…"

Jamie wished they'd quit making so much noise. He wasn't prepared for the panicked shout from his brother.

"It's caving!"

Jamie sucked in a breath; Danny had fallen upon him, covering his body. He couldn't see where Tony went. There was a massive groan, more concrete, wood and dust falling around him. He heard Danny hiss, the weight upon his body increasing. His back screamed…

"Dammit… is everyone alright?" Phil yelled. He was answered with several coughs.

"I'm bleeding, but it's okay…" Tony called back. "It's not deep. Danny?"

Danny groaned. Jamie felt a prick of worry poke at his brain, but his back was still screaming. He pushed at his brother.

"Danny…" he ground out. "You need to get off…" He felt Danny ease off of him.

"Danny, what's wrong?" he heard Tony ask.

"I think I broke something…" Danny hissed. "My leg's on fire…"

"You're not bleeding, but I think you might be right…" Tony mumbled. "Try not to move much, okay? Phil! Two stretchers!"

"Dammit…" Phil mumbled.

"We've got to get out of here…" Danny muttered. "Concrete has it in for me today…"

Jamie frowned in confusion, but he could no longer focus on anything. He just wanted to sleep.

~~BB~~

Outside, Linda burst into tears as the police pushed back the bystanders. Erin stood, too stunned to cry. Henry moved around the side of the ambulance, leaning against it, trying to control his emotions. Nicki sobbed, hugging her cousins who both wore shocked, confused looks. Frank stood, his heart in his throat, staring at the crumbling, collapsed building.

'_Please God, not both of them… you can't take both of them…'_

~~BB~~

"They can't get through… you have to meet them at the stairs." Phil called.

Tony sighed. "I have a man with a broken leg and another who's barely conscious… _how_ am I supposed to get them to the stairs?"

"I'm coming through… Danny, you'll go first."

"No!" Danny snapped. "Jamie's…" he trailed off, staring down at his brother. "You have to take him first."

"Danny…" Tony soothed. He glanced down at Jamie. "You're the biggest hope for survival…" he muttered quietly.

"Drop the professionalism already, Renzulli!" Danny snapped again. "This is _Jamie_ we're talking about, and I promised I wouldn't let him die!"

"I can still hear you…" Jamie mumbled weakly. He was starting to feel scared. He didn't think the numbness he was starting to feel was a good thing… even though it was a nice change from the pain.

"Sorry, kid," Danny apologized. "Don't mind us."

"Hmm…" Jamie mumbled. "I'm cold…"

"I know." Danny answered, taking his hand. "Just keep hanging on, okay? I promise I'll get you out of here."

Jamie shook his head. "You should go…"

"I'm not leaving you!"

"Please, Danny… don't leave Dad alone…"

"I'm not_ leaving _you!" Danny repeated stubbornly. Angrily.

"Tony's with me." Jamie told him, surprising himself for using his partner's first name. He _did_ think of him as a friend, but always as a partner and superior first.

"He's right, Danny," Tony replied, resting a hand on Jamie's other arm. "I'm here. I'll keep him safe."

"_Someone_ make a decision!" Phil snapped. "We need to go."

"Fine," Danny snapped back. "I'll go. Jamie, you'll be right behind me. I'm _not_ letting you stay down here."

Jamie smiled, still feeling fuzzy. "I know, Danny. Go."

"Tony, I'll need your help." Phil said. "Danny, keep your leg straight. Tony, help stabilize it. Good…"

Danny grunted, grumbling in annoyance.

"You're not helping, Reagan." Phil grumbled. "Okay, let's move."

"Stay awake, Jamie." Danny called behind him. Jamie just grunted. He was left in silence. He felt movement next to him.

"Jamie? Come on, kid… you promised Danny you'd stay awake."

"…did not…."

"Come on, Jamie, we're going to get you out of here, okay?" Tony said, a hint of a smile in his voice.

Jamie felt arms beneath him, pulling him up. He hissed as the pain in his back returned. He tried to pull away, but Phil was on his other side.

"Easy, Jamie… I know it hurts…" Phil soothed. "Tony, on the count of three, lift…"

"Okay… I apologize in advance, Jamie…"

"One… two… _three_!"

Jamie nearly cried out, but he bit his tongue, another hiss escaping his lips instead.

"I already apologized, kid…" Tony muttered, a hint of panic in his voice.

"Just keep moving…" Phil mumbled. "They'll be waiting at the top of the stairs."

Pain radiated through his body. He wished he could just fall unconscious to get away from it. He felt weak, but the pain was keeping him awake. He wanted to cry. Finally, he was lowered onto something soft. He could hear mumbled voices, words and sounds blending together into one jumbled noise. He could feel something touching him, but he couldn't make it out. The light blinded him, making him squeeze his eyes shut. Finally… finally he could sleep…

~~BB~~

He frowned, his eyes squeezing shut even tighter, trying to block out the light that was hurting his head. He wanted to go back to sleep, but his body was forcing him awake; he realized that he wasn't lying flat on his back like he thought he'd be.

"Jamie?"

His mouth felt dry. He tried swallowing a few times, but it didn't help. Something pressed against his lips; a straw. He sucked greedily at the cool water.

"Easy, kid. Don't make yourself sick."

"Sarge?" he rasped.

"We're not on duty. Don't call me that." Tony replied, a smile in his voice. Jamie cracked his eyes open.

"Tony… what's going on? Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital. Don't you remember?"

"Not really… what happened?"

"There was an earthquake," Tony told him. "You were with the kids at the library…"

"Yeah… I told them to leave and get help… I was trapped inside."

"Yes."

"I'm not dead?"

"Obviously not." Tony smirked. "You've cheated it once again."

Jamie smiled tiredly. "I must be running out of lives by now."

"Never."

"What's that beeping?"

Tony snorted. "Heart monitor. They like their machines. You're fine."

"I feel like crap…"

"Yeah, I believe you. But you're still okay."

Jamie nodded sleepily. "How long have I been out?"

"Two days." Tony replied. "They kept you out of it with medications to allow your body to start healing. You were in and out of consciousness over the last couple of days and then they wanted you to wake up on your own."

"I wish I was still asleep…" Jamie grumbled.

Tony laughed slightly. "I can believe that, too."

"How bad was it?"

"How bad was what?"

"How did I look?" Jamie tried again. "You practically insulted me… _that_ I _do_ remember!"

"I didn't _insult_ you, Jamie." Tony sighed. "Truthfully… you were in really rough shape. When I saw you, you were bleeding heavily, and you were extremely pale… you've also spent the last few days getting God knows how many transfusions."

"Guess I can't donate blood anymore…"

"I guess not. Not right now, anyway." Tony said, receiving a smirk in response.

"You were panicking at the end…"

"…no I wasn't…"

"Yes, you were." Jamie said, sleepily looking his partner in the eyes. "When you were trying to get me out… I heard it in your voice."

Tony sighed. "You'd make a good detective, kid. Yeah, I was. You'd paled even more… I was just scared. I didn't know what was going on and I thought that we'd hurt you even more."

"You did, though I think it was just the injuries fighting back…"

"Probably… they found several glass shards embedded in the cut on your back. It'll take your muscles a while to heal up completely. A couple were awfully close to your spine." Tony looked away. "I realize now what a stupid idea it was to move you like that… you would have been better off with a stretcher coming to _you_."

"It was too dangerous and too difficult to get anyone else in. You had no choice."

"No… but we could have paralysed you…"

"Tony," Jamie said, waiting for his friend to meet his eyes again. Slowly, Tony looked up.

"What?"

"Even if I was paralysed, I would have been alive."

"I guess…"

Jamie smiled in understanding, deciding to leave it alone. "My leg's throbbing…"

"It was a really deep gash, and there were several wood slivers left behind. A couple nicked the artery… but it could have been a lot worse…"

Jamie nodded again, the scared feeling returning. "I could have bled out before I'd even gotten Nicki out of there…"

"Probably…"

"She would have died, too…"

"Maybe, maybe not. She's a smart girl," Tony said, patting Jamie's arm gently. "She probably would have figured out how to get out even if you weren't there to help."

"I know… but watching that… if I didn't make it, I don't even want to _think_ of what that would have done to her. She should _never_ have to see that!"

"And she didn't," Tony soothed, sensing that Jamie was getting upset. "She'll probably never have to. Don't worry, she's okay."

Jamie took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. He nodded, feeling calmer. "I know, I'm sorry…"

"Don't be sorry, Jamie," Tony said, waving him off. "You're worried about your niece. I wouldn't expect anything else."

"How's Danny?" Jamie asked suddenly, fresh worry filling him.

"He'll be fine." Tony answered. "Two cracked bones, one fractured. Same leg, too."

Jamie smirked. "Poor guy."

Tony grinned. "He's milking it for all it's worth. He'll probably be away from work for a month or so. Then he'll have to take it easy for a few weeks."

"That will kill him."

Tony smirked. "You know, if it weren't for the age difference between you two, I'd say you were twins!"

"How does _that_ work?"

"You both received concussions." Tony smiled teasingly. "Granted, yours was a bit worse, but he received a small gash with his. It happened during the initial quake."

"Let me guess… he's milking that one, too?"

"Yep."

Jamie smirked again. "Poor Linda."

"I think she's ready to give him something else to complain about." Tony smirked. Jamie had to laugh, cutting it short when his back seized up.

"How are Jack and Sean?" he asked once he'd caught his breath again.

"I haven't seen much of them, but what I _have_ seen…" Tony sighed. "They thought they lost their father and their uncle all at the same time. They're clingy. But they're getting better." Tony assured him. Jamie nodded, lost in thought.

"You look tired, Jamie."

"I am." Jamie smiled. "I've been out of it for two days, yet I still want to sleep."

Tony smiled back. "That's your body healing itself." He lightly patted Jamie's good leg. "Get some rest. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Definitely. Bye, Sarge… Tony."

"That's better, kid." Tony laughed, waving as he left the room.

Jamie carefully eased himself into a different position, taking pressure off of his back. He honestly didn't think he'd be able to rest, but he was asleep in minutes.

~~BB~~

A sound jolted him awake; he could hear frustrated mumbling from somewhere behind him.

"Stupid cast… damn crutches…"

Jamie cracked open his eyes, turning slightly to glance over his shoulder. His lips quirked in amusement. "Danny?" he rasped.

"Jamie? Sorry, kid, didn't mean to wake you." Danny apologized. "This stupid cast gets in the way."

"That's why you're supposed to be taking it easy."

"Smartass." Danny grumbled, giving Jamie a smile as he watched his brother carefully turn himself over so that they were face to face. "How do you feel?"

Jamie shrugged. "I hurt. What else is new?"

"Do you want me to get the nurse?"

"No. I'm fine." Jamie answered. "I feel drugged up enough anyway."

Danny nodded. He glanced at Jamie before looking away. Jamie frowned.

"What is it?"

Danny shook his head. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"It's something, Danny. It's bothering you, whatever it is."

Danny sighed. "I didn't think you'd get out of there… I didn't think I'd be able to find you. When we learned that you and the kids were still inside… I don't know about anyone else, but I thought I'd lost all of you. Then we learned you guys were still alive. You saved my sons, Jamie. You saved Nicki. I owe you everything, kid…"

Jamie looked away. "No you don't, Danny. Any of us would have done the same thing in this situation."

"Yeah, we would… but we don't face this situation every day." Danny shrugged. "If it weren't for you…"

"You know I'd do anything for them, Danny. They're my niece and nephews. I'm not going to just leave them."

Danny just nodded. "I know." He smiled softly. "Tell you what. Once you're out of here, I'll treat you to a huge dinner, anything you want."

Jamie smiled back. "Sure. Just don't conveniently forget your wallet."

"That only happened once!" Danny defended himself.

"Five times, but who's counting?" Jamie smirked. Danny just muttered something incoherent.

"Knock knock!"

Jamie looked up, smiling. "Hey, Erin. Come in."

Erin put down the small vase of flowers that she was holding, leaning over to give Jamie's forehead a kiss. "Hey, Jamie. How do you feel?"

"Still tired, still sore."

"Expected." Erin replied, smiling slightly. Her eyes looked watery.

"Erin…" Jamie sighed.

"I'm sorry… it's just that if you weren't there… you kept them alive. Thank you, Jamie." Erin smiled again, leaning over to give him a hug. Jamie just glanced over at Danny, who tossed him a look that clearly said _'See? I told you so.'_

"I did it because I had to… it was automatic." Jamie replied, awkwardly patting Erin's arm as she continued to hug him. "You don't owe me anything."

Erin stood, still grasping Jamie's hand. "Nicki's here… she wants to say hi. Are you up to it?"

"Of course," Jamie smiled. "I'd love to see her, see how she's doing."

Erin nodded, motioning to Danny. "Get your butt off that chair, Danny. You can't stay in here forever."

"I just got comfortable, Erin." Danny grumbled, reaching once again for his crutches. He eased himself off of the chair, hobbling slowly after Erin. "I'll see you later, Jamie."

"Sure… hey, Danny?"

"Yeah?"

"What did you do to your hand?" Jamie asked, looking at Danny's taped up fingers.

Danny paused while Erin let out a laugh. Finally, he cleared his throat, blushing slightly. "Car accident?"

"What?" Jamie asked, confused. "Don't tell me you tried to drive with that cast on!"

"Er… no, not exactly…"

Erin laughed again. "He was holding the car door open for Grandpa yesterday afternoon. Then he closed it… but his fingers weren't out yet."

"You closed your own fingers in the car door?" Jamie laughed, before wincing. "Ouch…" he mumbled, rubbing gently at his side. Danny glowered, but shot him a sympathetic look.

"Yes, smartass, I closed my own fingers in the door." he grumbled, making Jamie laugh again. "It happens."

"Sure it does… to a five year old."

Erin laughed. "Come on, Danny. Jamie looks tired, and Nicki wants to see him. Let's not waste their time, okay?"

"You're right. See you, Jamie." Danny smiled.

"Bye, Danny."

"I won't let her stay long." Erin told him.

"It doesn't matter." Jamie smiled. "See you later, Erin." He watched as they walked out the door. A few minutes later, Nicki shyly entered the room. Jamie smiled at her. "Hey, Nick."

"Hi, Uncle Jamie." Nicki replied, giving him a light hug. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Jamie answered. "How about you? How's your ankle?"

"Just a bad sprain. I have to be careful with it for a few weeks."

"Any other injuries?"

"Some cuts, bruises, scrapes… I didn't even feel them until they were pointed out to me."

Jamie smiled. "That's what usually happens." He watched her carefully. "You okay?"

"Yeah, sure. I'm fine." she answered, giving him a smile. He frowned slightly, able to tell that she wasn't telling him everything, but unable to pinpoint what it was that she was hiding.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Don't worry about it, Uncle Jamie."

"You remember what I said before?" he asked, regarding her seriously.

"About what?"

"Hiding things."

"Oh…" Nicki picked at the blanket covering his legs. "It's nothing, really. There's no need to worry about it now."

Jamie was feeling tired enough to just leave it, but he was determined to find out later. "Fine, Nick… but I _will_ find out. Count on it."

She nodded, glancing away. "Sure… later."

Jamie continued to study her, but let it go. "How's the house doing?"

"Grandpa's needs some fixing, but really, you can't even tell anything happened. Ours was barely touched. Uncle Danny and Aunt Linda would have been safe at home… their neighbours didn't even know there was a quake until the news."

"It's a big city."

"It is." She looked at him carefully. "You're about to fall asleep, Uncle Jamie," she told him. "I'm going to go… I'll see you later, okay?"

"Sure, Nick." Jamie smiled, his eyelids growing heavy again. "Take care of yourself."

She nodded. "Get some rest…"

He watched as she left the room, but didn't know if Erin came back. He was asleep before the door even closed, the soft click not even waking him up.

~~BB~~

Jamie sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for his father to stop by. He had finally been discharged from the hospital after a week. The doctors attending to him wanted to keep him for observation, as well as making sure he would be strong enough to be able to continue his day to day life; his injuries had taken a lot out of him, and after being bedridden for three full days, he needed some help getting moving again. It hadn't taken long though, and within a couple of days he had been getting up and moving around on his own, even though he was frustrated with moving slower than a snail. He had finally been released on strict orders to take it easy for the next few weeks, when a follow up appointment would determine how long he'd have to remain resting. He hoped it wouldn't take too long, though he knew it would probably be a couple of months before he'd be able to get back on the job. He sighed; at least he could join in with Danny's complaining and moaning and groaning… his brother wouldn't be alone then. Jamie snorted at himself. The last thing he needed was to annoy his family enough that he would need to sleep with one eye open.

A sound at the door drew him from his thoughts. He turned slightly, noticing his father enter the room. He smiled in greeting.

"Hi, Dad."

Frank smiled back. "Ready to go, Jamie?"

"Definitely." Jamie sighed, easing himself off of the bed. Frank hovered worriedly beside him but didn't touch him. Jamie smiled. "It's fine, Dad."

"What is?"

"You want to help," Jamie pointed out. "Yet you're worried that I'll take offense to it."

Frank shrugged. "I just want you to feel that you still have your independence… that you can still do things for yourself."

"Of course I can," Jamie told him, shrugging. "I'm not an invalid. But I'm also not going to get upset if someone wants to help with something." Jamie paused, thinking. "In moderation."

Frank chuckled, finally reaching out to gently grasp his son's arm as Jamie slowly made his way to the door. "I'll try to keep Pop away from you."

Jamie laughed. "Good luck with that." He hobbled his way over to the wheelchair that the nurse had left, easing himself down. He would have preferred to walk out on his own two feet, but his leg often cramped up walking the short distance to the bathroom, never mind down the hall to the elevator and out to the waiting car. His back wouldn't be happy either. It was getting better, but he knew he'd have to give it more time.

Outside, Frank helped him up from the wheelchair. He held open the car door for him, watching as Jamie slowly lowered himself into the passenger seat. Frank had convinced his entourage to leave him be for a day so that he could have some alone time with his youngest; and finally, he was able to drive himself somewhere. Granted, he had to borrow his own father's car to do it. He frowned, remembering his father's protests as he tried to take the keys; Henry had insisted that since it was his car, he should be able to go with it… he wouldn't want anyone else "driving it wrong," after all. Frank had finally ordered him to stay in the house. It wouldn't take long to pick up Jamie and bring him home.

Jamie was silent as they drove through the streets, taking in the lingering damage.

"It only took a few days to get things up and running." Frank supplied.

"The buildings are still ruined."

"Not ruined, Jamie. Many of them may take a while to get up and running, but they can be saved."

"The library?"

Frank paused, his heart constricting. "It will be rebuilt, but the structure was too damaged to save. They'll have to start from scratch."

Jamie nodded, still staring out the side window. His brow furrowed. Frank glanced at him worriedly.

"Something on your mind, son?"

Jamie let out a sigh, still frowning. He stared down at his hands clasped in his lap. He clenched a fist. Frank immediately pulled over, parking the car. He reached out, grasping Jamie's clenched fist.

"Jamie, talk to me." Frank ordered gently. He studied his son as Jamie continued to stare out the window.

"Why?" Jamie suddenly burst out. "Why did this happen, Dad? Why us?"

Frank looked taken aback. "We're all alive, son… you don't have to worry anymore."

"Not that, Dad… why did this happen to our city?" Jamie's eyes radiated pain. "I heard the news, read the papers… there were several deaths, some of them children, hundreds more injured… why did this have to happen to us?"

Frank shrugged helplessly. He'd asked himself the same question. "We can't predict what Mother Nature has in store for us, Jamie… sometimes these things happen and we can't explain why. We can only pick up the pieces and be grateful that we're alive. Yes, there were casualties, but the majority of people are alive and well. We may have lost a few material items, but we still have each other."

Jamie nodded. "I know… I'm sorry, Dad. I just don't understand any of it."

"Neither do I, son… but that's why we have to move on from this. Just keep going, get back to normal."

"I was scared that day…" Jamie whispered.

Frank paused, his hand hovering over the gear shift. He watched as Jamie bowed his head. "Go on…" he prompted softly.

"I thought I was going to die… when the earth ripped apart, I thought I was going to die and the kids would be lost, too… I couldn't handle that, Dad!" Jamie cried out, his voice desperate. "I couldn't handle the thought of them being killed in something that shouldn't be happening in the first place! And I didn't know where any of you were… for all I knew, I had just lost my entire family!"

Frank reached over, attempting to pull Jamie into an awkward hug. "You didn't lose us, Jamie," he soothed. "And the kids are okay, thanks to you. You kept them alive. You kept _yourself_ alive; you fought back, Jamie. Even in uncertain circumstances, you kept your head and you kept on fighting. You have to remember that."

"I'm sorry, Dad…" Jamie mumbled.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Jamie." Frank told him. "You did what you had to do. We were all scared; no one knew what was going on. We were separated – the thought that we'd lost our entire family crossed all of our minds. The fact that we couldn't get into contact with anyone didn't help." He looked away. "And I have a confession to make…"

"What's that?" Jamie asked, curiously. The last time he'd seen his father look so vulnerable was when Joe had been killed.

"I didn't think I'd be getting you back alive, either." Frank said, barely making eye contact. "We had finally been reunited, except for you… and the building was too unstable to let anyone else in…."

Jamie's heart thumped painfully. "You were thinking of letting me go… weren't you?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He tried to keep the accusatory tone out of his voice.

"I didn't _want_ to, Jamie." Frank told him firmly yet softly, his voice laced with pain. "I didn't _want_ to lose another son… I would have barged in there myself. But I had to keep a professional head… I couldn't send more men and women to their deaths. You're my son… but I couldn't ask other men and women to sacrifice themselves because of what I wanted."

"You thought the building was going to collapse in on itself." Jamie mumbled.

Frank sighed. "Yeah, I did."

"It must have killed you to realize you might have to leave me in there."

Frank nodded. "It tore me apart, Jamie… the last thing I _ever_ want to do is leave you behind. I don't want to leave _any_ of you behind. But sometimes decisions have to be made. Sometimes we're not going to like the decision even if we know that, ultimately, it's the right one."

"Did it _feel_ like that, though?" Jamie asked, still accusing. "Did it feel 'right' to you?"

Frank finally made eye contact. "In my head, yes. I made a professional decision. In my heart…" he sighed, looking away. "No. It _never_ would have been the right decision to make. I would have had to bury another son… and I would _never_ forgive myself for it."

Jamie watched him, almost as if seeing his father in a whole new light. He was starting to understand the kinds of decisions his father had to make every day. "It wouldn't have been your fault, Dad."

"Maybe, maybe not." Frank said, shrugging helplessly. "I still would have hated myself if you'd died… I would have blamed myself every day."

"Danny still went in."

"He did." Frank said, staring out the window. "There was no changing his mind, so I allowed it. I pleaded with him to rethink it… I couldn't lose _two_ sons… I couldn't stand the thought of visiting my boys on their birthdays and holidays in a cemetery. To know that all that was left of my three sons was a name and date carved into stone. How would I go on?"

"You would go on for Erin and Gramps, Linda and your grandchildren… you would have found a way, Dad." Jamie said, all traces of anger gone from his voice.

"Maybe," Frank responded. "But it would never be the same."

"No." Jamie answered in agreement. "So if you were ready to make that decision, why'd you let Danny go in?"

"I wasn't _ready_, Jamie," Frank corrected. "I would never be ready to make that kind of decision. I let Danny go in because I couldn't stop him."

"Yes, you could," Jamie told him. "Just pull rank."

Frank smiled a grim smile. "Yes, you're right. I could have ordered him against it. But I allowed it because we shared the same pain… he would lose another brother, I would lose another son. I couldn't allow anyone else to sacrifice themselves for one person… but I'd let my other son sacrifice himself for his brother… knowing full well that Danny could have died with you, I let him go in based on the small chance that he'd get you out. Was _that_ the right decision, Jamie?"

Jamie swallowed. "How am I supposed to answer that, Dad?" he asked, his voice rough. "I didn't want to die… but I don't want Danny to die, either. He's got kids, a wife… I don't. I would have willingly stayed in there if I'd thought that Danny wouldn't make it out. I would have told him to stay out, forced him. But I didn't _want_ to die… I didn't _want _to stay in there… so maybe in my own selfish way, I was willing to let him sacrifice himself for me. Is _that_ the right decision?"

Frank smiled grimly again. "I think, Jamie, that we're starting to come to the same conclusion."

"That there's no right decision in this type of situation?"

"That's part of it." Frank said, looking Jamie fully in the eyes. "This situation was out of our control. We're never going to be ready for something like this. It just happens, and we have to deal with it. We're not always going to like the outcome."

"But everything turned out okay."

"You're right." Frank smiled again, his smile warmer this time. "We're all alive."

Jamie smiled back. "Then we should get going."

Frank put the car into gear, pulled away from the curb and headed for home.

~~TBC~~

* * *

**A/N:** One more to go. Thanks again! :)


	4. Aftermath

Torn: Ready or Not

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, never has been and never will be.

**A/N:** And finally... the conclusion! Thanks to all who reviewed - I know I didn't get to each of you individually this time, but I thank each and every one of you! :) Thanks to everyone who stuck around and reviewed/alerted/placed in faves/or just read each chapter. Much appreciated! :)

Until next time... :)

* * *

Chapter 4: Aftermath

"About time." Henry grumbled from his chair as Frank walked through the door, Jamie leaning on him as he hobbled inside.

"Your car is fine, Pops," Frank sighed, shooting Jamie a look. Jamie smirked. "Jamie and I needed to have a discussion before we got home."

"It's not the car, Francis," Henry grumbled again, putting down his paper. "You're keeping me from my grandson." He turned to Jamie, smiling warmly. "Jamie, how do you feel?"

"Tired, sore, the usual," Jamie answered, giving his grandfather a smile. "I'll be fine."

"Did you get the pain pills your doctor prescribed for you?" Frank cut in.

"Yeah, I grabbed them earlier." Jamie told him, patting his jacket pocket. "If you don't mind, I think I'll go take one and lay down for a bit."

"That's fine, Jamie," Frank answered. Henry nodded in agreement. "Get some rest. Come on, I'll help you up to your room."

"Thanks, Dad." Jamie sighed, already dreading the stairs. "I'll see you later, Gramps."

"Have a good sleep, Jamie." Henry smiled again.

Jamie leaned heavily on his father as they eased up the stairs. Frank gently pulled on his arm half way up, causing him to stop. "What's wrong, Dad?"

"This is hurting you, Jamie. You shouldn't be climbing these stairs right now. Let's get you set up downstairs…"

"No, Dad. I'll be fine once I get up there. I'll be most comfortable in bed, not on a couch. I just need to catch my breath."

"Alright," Frank sighed, knowing his son was right. "Stop whenever you need to."

Jamie nodded. "Let's go, I just want to lie down."

Frank held on tightly as they slowly made their way upstairs. He led Jamie into his room, gently sitting him down on his old bed. Jamie's face was pale, a thin sheen of sweat visible on his forehead. "Just relax, son. I'll be right back."

"Sure." Jamie puffed, fumbling around in his jacket pocket. He placed the pill bottle on the nightstand and started to struggle out of the jacket. His father took it from him as he re-entered the room, placing it over the back of the desk chair. He pressed a glass of water into his hand.

"How do you feel?"

"I'm getting my breath back," Jamie told him. "But now I'm exhausted."

"I'm sure you are." Frank answered, watching as Jamie shook a pill into his hand, swallowing it with a mouthful of water. He replaced the glass onto the nightstand beside the pills. He stood shakily, pulling back the covers. Frank smiled. "Cold, son?"

"Yes," Jamie grumbled. "I must have worked too hard climbing the stairs."

Frank chuckled. "You'll get your feet back under you soon, Jamie," he said, helping him lay down. "Just rest now."

Jamie eased himself onto his uninjured side, his eyes already closing. "Thanks, Dad." he mumbled.

Frank sat next to him, watching him for several minutes as his breathing evened out, a soft snore filling the room. He ran his fingers gently through Jamie's hair, the guilt still eating at him. "I'm so sorry, Jamie." he murmured softly, knowing that Jamie was fast asleep. "I love you… and that's not going to change. I just hope you can forgive me."

He got up, careful not to jostle him. He stepped out into the hallway, noiselessly closing the door behind him.

In the room, Jamie stirred, briefly opening his eyes. He was sure he'd heard his father talking to him, but didn't know what he said. He had no time to dwell on it, for sleep quickly claimed him once again.

~~BB~~

Jamie slowly awoke, his brain activating as his nose sniffed out something new. He frowned, stretching carefully. His father and grandfather must be making dinner. He glanced at his watch; sure enough, it was after five in the evening. He had slept for a few hours, not even waking up once.

Slowly he sat up, trying to clear his foggy head. He desperately wanted a shower. His doctor told him that quick showers were okay, but he had to wear waterproof bandaging over his stitches, and he had to mind said stitches when drying off. He shrugged out of his shirt, leaving it on the bed before hobbling out into the hallway. He closed the bathroom door behind him.

He looked at the bandages covering his wounds. The leg cover would be easy enough to change later on, but he'd have to get his father to help him with the one on his back. He turned on the water, stepping into the tub. He turned, facing the shower head in order to keep his back out of as much water as possible. He washed, wishing he could stay under the warm stream soothing his aching muscles, but he knew that the longer he stayed the soggier the bandages would get, waterproof or not. He turned off the taps reluctantly, stepping out of the tub and taking care not to lose his footing. He dried off quickly, the water rapidly cooling on his skin. Gently picking at the bandage on his leg, he peeled it off, wincing at the angry looking mark on his leg. It was healing, but he shuddered at the thought of how deep it had been. He quickly grabbed the clean, dry bandages from under the sink and replaced it, pressing gently along the edges. He reached around, feeling the bandage on his back; it was damp, but not soaked through. It would dry, and he could get his father to help him replace it later.

Feeling refreshed, he wrapped the towel around his waist before heading back into his room. He rooted around, pulling out a clean pair of pants and a shirt. He and his siblings made sure that they brought an emergency overnight bag with a few changes of clothes in it, as well as a few toiletries. That way, if they ever had to stay overnight, they'd have something to change into. He pulled out a pair of socks, easily slipping one over his left foot. He sighed as he struggled with his right. Stupid Mother Nature…

Finally dressed, he padded back out into the hallway, staring morosely at the stairs. They were bad enough coming up. Why didn't he just listen to his father and stay downstairs? He seriously contemplated sliding down on his butt. Shaking his head, he grabbed the railing, leaning on it heavily as he inched his way down the steps. Going down was easier than going up. He reached the bottom, less winded than earlier.

"Uncle Jamie!"

Jamie nearly lost his balance as two blond figures raced over to him, grabbing him in a hug.

"Ease off, boys!" Danny hollered from the living room. "What did I tell you?"

"Sorry, Dad," they called. "Sorry, Uncle Jamie." Jack apologized.

"It's not a problem." Jamie told them, wincing slightly. Sean had managed to crash right into his injured leg. "How are you doing?"

"We're fine, Uncle Jamie." Sean answered. He leaned forward again, gently wrapping his small arms around his uncle. "We're just glad you're okay."

Jamie hugged them back. "I'm going to be fine, boys. Don't worry, okay?"

They nodded, giving him one last hug before racing off to find Nicki. Jamie could hear talking in the kitchen, but he made his way into the living room where his brother sat, cast-laden leg resting in an upright position.

"How are you doing, Danny?" he asked.

"Probably better than you… though at least you can use the stairs." Danny smirked. "I haven't slept with Linda in over a week."

"Too much information, Danny." Jamie groaned.

"What, you thought I meant…" Danny laughed. "Get your head out of the gutter, kid."

Jamie reddened. "This is _you_ we're talking about," he defended himself. "Sex and food and beer are about equal with you."

It was Danny's turn to redden. "Well… sex comes first…"

Jamie groaned again, mockingly covering his ears. "Shut up, Danny… really don't need to hear that."

Danny laughed. "Whatever, Jamie. You doing okay?"

"Yeah," Jamie answered. "Still sore, but the pain meds help."

"They do." Danny agreed, glaring at his cast. "I just wish they'd take away the itch…"

Jamie laughed again. "Use a ruler."

"I'm likely to cut myself with the edge of it… I'd _really_ be screwed then." Danny grumbled in response, smiling at his brother's laugh. At least everyone seemed to get through the ordeal in good spirits.

"What's everyone doing here, anyway?" Jamie asked. "It's not Sunday."

Danny shrugged. "We're just glad everyone is together, safe and sound." Jamie nodded, not quite believing him but unsure as to what else it could be. He looked up as his father walked into the room.

"Hi, Jamie." Frank greeted. "I didn't know if you were up or not."

"Yeah. Showered and everything." Jamie answered casually.

"Are the bandages okay?"

"I changed the one on my leg. I'll need your help later with the one on my back."

"Sure thing." Frank agreed, willing to help with anything his family members needed. "I know you probably just sat down, son, but I'd like to talk to Danny alone."

"What did I do?" Danny asked, wearily watching his father.

Frank smiled. "Nothing, son. Just want to chat."

Danny frowned quizzically. "You can talk in front of Jamie, Dad."

Jamie shook his head. "It's fine, Danny, I can go. I'll see if I can snitch anything from the kitchen." He replied jokingly, shooting a knowing look at his father. He had a feeling it would be something like their discussion earlier that day.

"Okay…" Danny trailed off, looking confused.

Jamie smiled again, hobbling his way into the kitchen, where he was greeted enthusiastically by Erin, Linda, and his grandfather. They immediately set him to cutting up vegetables for the salad. He regretted entering the kitchen as soon as the knife was pressed into his hand and the cutting board placed in front of his nose.

~~BB~~

"What's up, Dad?" Danny asked.

Frank sighed. "I had to make a decision a week ago… one that could have ripped this family apart."

Danny opened his mouth, but didn't speak. His heart thumped. He cleared his throat. "Well, I know you had to debate on whether to send anyone into the library… the thought of leaving Jamie behind really _did_ cross your mind, didn't it?"

"Yes." Frank answered, looking down. "I had to look at the situation professionally. The last thing I wanted was to lose another son… but I couldn't willingly send in a group of men and women when I knew they'd likely be sacrificing themselves."

"I still can't believe…" Danny muttered, not looking at his father.

"That building was going to collapse… it _did_ collapse into itself… Danny, that decision killed me! And rightfully, I should have stopped you and Tony and Phil from going in."

"I would have gone in anyway." Danny answered defiantly.

"Would you really? Knowing that Linda and your boys were waiting for you?"

"I…" Danny started, the stunning realization hitting him that no, he likely wouldn't have gone in. "God, Dad… I would have left my brother behind… no, I would _never_ do that!" he argued with himself, frowning.

"I let you go in in the selfish hope that you'd be able to get Jamie out of there… I let you go even though I knew I could lose both of you." Frank paused, scrubbing a hand over his eyes. "Danny… I could have sent you to your death… I am so sorry. It was bad enough having lost Joe, the thought of losing Jamie pushed me to the edge… after I realized I could lose both of you…"

"Dad…" Danny whispered. "Don't. Just don't."

"Danny…"

"I'm not angry, Dad." Danny said, sadness written on his face. "I never realized what hell you went through that day… I fought with you because there was no way I was going to leave my brother behind to die… it was only after I got in there that I realized that it may have been a bad idea, and the building collapsing around us minutes later only confirmed it… but we got out alive. We managed to beat those odds and got out alive."

"Not unscathed."

"I'd rather walk in a cast the rest of my life than give up on Jamie. I still stand behind what I did."

Frank watched him as he seemed to struggle with something. "Danny… I'm so proud of you, son. That day scared the hell out of me, but I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Dad." Danny said. "If Jamie ever finds out that I even _considered_ leaving him in there… he'll hate me forever."

"I don't hate you, Danny."

Both Danny and Frank looked up, startled to see Jamie standing in the doorway with an odd look on his face. Frank motioned him in, watching as Jamie moved slowly to the couch before easing himself down.

"Jamie…"

"No, Danny. I don't hate you." Jamie repeated. "I mean, yeah… it feels really weird that two of my family members considered leaving me to die, but I understand. Danny, you've got a wife and kids that love you and need you around. Dad, you've got an entire city to look out for, and many lives rest on your shoulders. If you'd made the decision to stay out of the building, and Dad, if you'd made the decision to order Danny _away_ from the building… I would have made peace with that. I understand why you'd do it that way." He looked at each of them in the eyes. "I'm not angry with either of you, and there's nothing to forgive."

Danny watched his brother in wonder. "Thank you, Jamie… but I'm still so sorry that I even thought it. And Dad… you allowed me to go in even though you knew you might not see me again… and that's okay. I'm not mad. Like I said, I'd probably rush in there anyway, even if you had ordered me to stay away."

Frank smiled softly. "You probably would, son. I just can't apologize to either of you enough…"

Jamie and Danny shared a look. "I forgive you, Dad." Jamie told him. Danny nodded.

"So do I."

Frank nodded, silently calming the pounding in his heart. "Thank you, boys… that means so much."

They smiled, each of them taking in the calm silence, lost in their own thoughts.

Erin poked her head into the room. "Dinner's ready," she announced, noting the subdued looks on their faces. "It'll take you two a while to get there, so that's why I'm letting you know first." she teased, pointing at her brothers. They laughed, the somber mood evaporating.

"Bet'cha I can still get there before Danny." Jamie mocked.

"Don't laugh, kid." Danny grumbled. "You know you're right this time. But once this cast is off… you'd better watch yourself!"

Jamie laughed again, allowing his father to help him up, turning to watch as Frank then helped to ease Danny's leg off of the stool it was resting on. Danny grabbed his crutches, grumbling the whole time.

"Stupid cast… stupid crutches… why me?" he moaned pitifully.

Jamie laughed again, accepting Erin's arm as she grinned at her male family members. He hobbled out into the dining room, Erin's warm hand and arm firmly planted around his shoulders. He didn't really need the help, but he didn't want to lose the warm feeling that was surrounding him.

~~BB~~

Jamie sat in his usual spot at the table, Danny two seats down from him. The rest of the family filed in, with Frank and Henry taking their usual places. Erin, Nicki, and the boys sat on the other side of the table while Linda sat between Jamie and Danny. Jamie tried hard to catch Nicki's eye; she kept glancing shyly at him before looking away. He frowned slightly, glancing at Erin, but Erin was busy chatting with Linda across the table and wasn't paying attention.

The family dug in as soon as they said grace, and soon all that could be heard was the clinking of forks and knives on plates and the occasional slurp from a glass. Jamie soon realized that all of the foods that were on the table were his favourites. He was about to ponder that further when Erin put her cutlery down.

"I'd like to say something."

"Go ahead, Erin." Frank responded.

Erin fiddled with her wine glass. "I just want to say thank you… Jamie, if it weren't for you our kids might not have survived. You saved them."

Jamie felt his cheeks heat up. Now he knew what this dinner was for. "I'm not…" he stuttered quietly.

"You're our hero, Jamie." Linda continued ahead of Erin, barging on as if Jamie hadn't started to say something. She gently grasped his hand that was resting on the table. Jamie looked around; everyone was staring at him, some looking teary, all of them proud. Nicki was looking teary herself, but she was smiling at him. Jack and Sean looked slightly confused at the attention their uncle was getting, but they knew it must be serious. Jamie pulled his hand discreetly out from under Linda's, starting to feel uncomfortable. The room was getting too warm and stuffy.

"I'm… I'm not a hero," Jamie stuttered uncomfortably. "I mean, if it wasn't for Danny, I wouldn't be sitting here… If Dad hadn't let him go in, I wouldn't be sitting here. They're heroes too…" Jamie finished weakly, feeling the awkward air surrounding the table.

Henry broke the awkward silence, lifting his glass of water. "To the family of heroes." he smiled. The rest of the family nodded, lifting their glasses. Jamie followed suit, still feeling uncomfortable. He glanced at his father, who gave him an understanding look. Jamie glanced back across the table at Nicki, who was staring at her empty plate. Jamie frowned, knowing something was bothering her.

Dessert passed quickly, and the cleanup began. Everyone jostled around in the kitchen, reaching for dishes to put the leftovers in, finally snapping at Danny when he bumped one too many knees and shins with his cast. Danny happily hobbled out into the living room, content to leave the cleanup to everyone else. Jamie spotted Nicki quietly placing a few dishes in the fridge. He needed to sit anyway, so he ambled over to her.

"Nicki, can I have a word?"

"Sure, Uncle Jamie." she responded, turning to face him.

"Let's step outside onto the patio." Jamie told her, gently taking her arm. He waved her ahead of him as he limped after her. They walked past Danny, who had made himself comfortable on the couch.

"Where are you going?" Danny asked, looking confused at the somber looks on their faces.

"Just having a chat." Jamie answered casually. "We'll be back in soon."

"Okay…"

Once outside, Jamie gratefully plunked himself down in one of the patio chairs, motioning for Nicki to sit next to him. He looked at her seriously.

"What's wrong, Nick?"

She fiddled with her fingers. "Nothing."

"You know I don't believe that."

"Really, it's nothing…"

"Nicki…" Jamie trailed off, a note of warning in his voice. "I want to know." He softened as he watched her eyes fill with tears. "Nick, please? Something is bothering you, and I know it has to do with what happened to us. Please talk to me."

She wiped her eyes. "When you told me to leave… after you realized you wouldn't fit through the space left in the debris covering the door… you didn't think you were getting out, did you?"

It was Jamie's turn to look away. "The thought crossed my mind."

"Why would you give up?"

Jamie looked at her, shocked by the anger in her voice. "Nicki, I didn't give up!" he defended himself. "I _tried_ to get myself out… I moved some of the debris, but that only caused it to fall in towards me. I wanted out, trust me. But I also knew that there was a very good chance that I _wouldn't_ make it out of there. I had to rely on other people to get me out."

"They said it was too unstable and that they weren't going to send anyone in because the building was already collapsing." Nicki told him, her voice thick. "They were going to leave you in there. _Grandpa_ was going to leave you in there! Why would he do that?"

Jamie reached towards her, grasping her hand tightly. "Nick, he didn't want to but he has an entire city to look after. It's what he does; sometimes he has to make decisions that are not always the best sounding, but they're the right ones."

"How is leaving you to die the right decision?" Nicki snapped.

"Don't, Nicki," Jamie started, squeezing her hands. "Don't be angry. He had to make a professional decision that day and he couldn't send in a dozen men and women to their deaths for one person who was in really bad shape… even if he wanted to. He had to keep his own feelings out of it."

"He has to do that a lot, doesn't he?" Nicki sniffed.

Jamie smiled sadly. "Yes, being PC can't be easy…"

"No, it probably isn't." Nicki agreed. "Why won't you accept that you're a hero to us?" she asked. "You _did_ keep us alive…"

"I had to. My priority was getting you kids out of there. I was already in there with you… I just don't see myself as a hero. It's not like I flew in there like Superman and plucked you out."

Nicki leaned over to hug him. "I don't care," she told him. "You still got us out, and you're still alive. You're a hero to me, even if you can't accept it."

Jamie had to smile. He hugged her back. "Thanks, Nick."

"I love you, Uncle Jamie." she mumbled, teary. "Don't ever do this to us again."

Jamie chuckled. "I love you too, Nicki. You might have to ask Mother Nature for that one, though."

Frank gently knocked on the patio door before stepping out. "Everything okay out here?"

"Yeah." Jamie answered, looking over at Nicki. "We're good."

"Are you sure?" Frank asked, watching Nicki. Jamie opened his mouth to say something when Nicki suddenly burst into tears. Jamie looked at her in surprise; never mind women in general, teenagers were even harder to figure out!

"Nick, what….?" Jamie started, watching helplessly as Nicki suddenly got up, rushing at Frank. Frank looked startled, but quickly grabbed her in a hug as she flew into him. Jamie half stood, unsure as to whether she was going to attack him or just hug him. Frank motioned him back into his seat.

"Sweetheart, what is it?" Frank asked, concern radiating from him. He hugged her tightly. He looked shocked when she suddenly pushed him away from her. She took a step back, glaring at him. Unsure, he glanced at Jamie who wore a concerned expression, yet he didn't look nearly as confused as Frank felt.

"You were going to leave him!" she yelled at him, unaware that the rest of the family had rushed to various windows to see what the commotion was about. "You weren't going to send anyone in and you were going to just leave him in there to die!"

At this point, Linda, who had been holding back her boys at the patio door, pulled them away into the house. Danny took over to do his best to explain to them what Nicki was talking about.

"Nicki…" Jamie protested weakly, embarrassment colouring his features. Frank looked ashamed.

"You're right, Nicki… I _did_ consider it. I _had_ to consider it. It's part of my job."

"Uncle Jamie said that you couldn't risk others lives when it was unlikely that his life could be saved."

"That's part of the professional decision making that I have to go through," Frank agreed. "It's not something I wanted to do, honey, but I couldn't put my own feelings ahead of others lives. And I would have rushed in there myself, consequences be damned."

"I know you would, Dad." Jamie cut in, struggling to get up. He pulled on Nicki's arm, but she shook him off.

"I'm so angry with you!" she snapped again, quieter this time, her words cutting Frank like knives. "But I get it."

"You do?"

"I shouldn't. I should hate you for thinking of leaving him, but I get it. And I don't hate you, Grandpa." she sobbed, running for him again. He caught her in another hug. "I wish you didn't have to make these choices."

Frank smiled grimly. "I wish I didn't have to either, honey."

"I love you, Grandpa…" Nicki sniffled. Frank kissed the top of her head.

"I love you too, sweetheart." he replied, looking over at Jamie. He smiled softly. Jamie looked teary as he watched them. "You okay, Jamie?"

"Sure." Jamie replied, trying to sound casual. "Do I smell onions?"

Frank chuckled as Nicki pulled away, wiping her eyes. She couldn't help but crack a grin at Jamie's attempt at being funny.

"Uncle Jamie?"

"Yeah, Nick?"

"I didn't say this before, but… I thought…" Nicki struggled with the words, trying to come up with the best way to say it. "When we fell, I told you that you had been out for a few minutes. It was nearly ten minutes before you started moving and I…" A few tears fell and she quickly wiped them away. "I really thought you were dead!" she finished, her voice thick and shrill. "I was so scared!"

Jamie stood, slowly hobbling over to her before pulling her into a tight squeeze. She hugged him back tightly while Frank looked on. "I get it, Nick… and I'm really sorry for everything you had to go through. If I could change it all, I would," he told her quietly. "But I can't. It happened, but we'll get through it. We've survived already! We can keep surviving."

Nicki nodded against his chest. "Thank you, Uncle Jamie."

"Anytime, Nicki." he replied softly, giving her one last squeeze before pulling away. "Now, I don't suppose you could go get your crippled uncle a cup of coffee, could you?"

Nicki smiled, stretching up to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Of course. I'll be right back." she replied, hurrying back into the house. The rest of the family had drifted off ages ago once they'd realized that no one was going to come to blows.

"Dad…"

"Don't mention it, Jamie." Frank smiled.

"But would you really have run in there?"

"Yes," Frank answered firmly. "I would have ordered everyone else to stay out to keep them from dying. I would have ordered Danny to stay away to protect him, Linda, and the boys. But I don't have to listen to myself. Yes, Jamie… without a doubt, I would have gone in to get you myself."

"But what if it turned out to be hopeless?"

Frank shrugged. "Then at least I tried." He looked at Jamie seriously. "A father should never have to bury his children," he told him. "Once is one time too many…"

Jamie nodded, his throat too tight to say anything. He cleared it, smiling as Nicki popped back through the door with a cup of coffee in her hands. She handed it to him.

"Just how you like it." she smiled.

"Thanks, Nicki." Jamie smiled, trying to keep his voice normal.

"I'm going to go help the boys with some last minute homework. I promised I would…" she grumbled, regretting that promise once she learned how much they still had to do. "I won't do it for them, though…"

"Good," Jamie told her. "They'll only learn if they do it themselves."

She nodded again, disappearing back into the house.

"You coming in?" Frank asked.

"No… not right now."

"It's getting cold."

"I'll be okay, I won't stay out long." Jamie assured him. "I just need some fresh air."

Frank nodded. "Then I'll see you soon, son."

"Sure thing, Dad."

Jamie watched at Frank re-entered the house, sighing. Mother Nature really had a way with people.

~~BB~~

Frank wearily sat down in his chair, jumping when a cup of coffee was placed in front of his nose. He glanced quickly at his father.

"Pop, don't _do_ that!"

Henry smiled. "Sorry Francis. I just thought you might need this."

Frank took a suspicious sniff before smiling. "You've added some 'adult coffee cream' haven't you?" he asked, always aware that the youngest members of the Reagan clan could be listening.

"Yep."

"Thanks, Pop."

"Don't mention it, Francis." Henry replied, sitting in his own chair. He looked seriously at his son. "Francis… were you really thinking of leaving my grandson in that building?"

"Pop…" Frank groaned. "Really? Do we have to do this now?"

Henry snorted. "I think you forget, Francis, that I've sat in the exact same seat as you. I know what decision making is all about."

Frank looked sheepish. "I'm sorry, Pop. You're right… I did forget."

"You made the right one."

"I would have gone in there myself."

"I know."

"I mean… I'm the PC, I don't have to listen to myself, do I?"

Henry shrugged. "The mayor might have your head, but no, you don't have to listen to yourself… you can disobey your own orders."

"Danny had every intent on doing that anyway."

"Of course he did. He gets it from you." Henry smirked. Frank shot him a look before cracking a smile.

"I think I'd have to blame you for that, Pop." Frank told him, making Henry laugh.

"That department shrink's going to be ecstatic over the size of his paycheques over the next little while…" Henry sighed, sobering up.

"As much as I hate it, I have to agree with you." Frank grumbled. Never mind that he'd be ordering most of the force to go see him, but he'd have to make some of his own appointments as well.

"We'll be okay, Francis." Henry told him firmly. "This _city_ will be okay."

Frank looked at him, smiling. "Agreed." He leaned back, taking a sip of his doctored coffee, listening to the murmurs of the rest of the family.

~~BB~~

"Is Nicki okay?" Linda asked, absentmindedly stirring her coffee. Erin sat opposite her in the kitchen.

Erin sighed. "She's getting better, but she's been waking up with a few nightmares over the last few nights. I think most of them are about the building collapsing on them… I think a few were specifically about Jamie. She hasn't said much to me, but she was really afraid that he was dead… I think she _still_ wakes up thinking that he is, at least until it sinks in that it was just a dream."

Linda nodded. "When the building collapsed after Danny had gone in… I thought that was it."

"I know," Erin replied softly. "I thought we'd lost them both."

"I wake up, too… and Danny's never there because he can't use the stairs; I feel sick thinking that he's gone. He doesn't know it, but most nights I go downstairs just to watch him sleep, just to reassure myself that he's really there. After an hour or so, I go back to bed."

Erin grasped her hand, watching as Linda wiped her eyes. "I know, Lin. Several nights now, I've had to stop myself from phoning both Danny and Jamie in a panic… I wake up thinking they're gone…"

Linda snorted. "The shrinks in this town are going to have a field day…"

Erin had to laugh. "I'm sure they won't mind much. You can't beat being well-paid."

"True." Linda laughed. "Everything's going to be okay, isn't it? We'll get through this, won't we?"

"Of course!" Erin assured her. "We're Reagans. And this is New York. We'll be fine."

Linda smiled at her. "Hey, Erin, before I forget, I brought that magazine you wanted…"

~~BB~~

Jamie looked up as Danny stumbled out the door, complaining as usual.

"Damn crutches…" he grumbled, sinking down into the chair next to Jamie's. Jamie smiled at him.

"You're never going to get out of that cast if you don't rest."

Danny snorted. "I'm going to get out of this cast earlier than expected!"

"Whatever, Danny." Jamie smirked.

"Just you wait," Danny told him. "I'll be running around long before you can get out of bed on your own!"

"I can get out of bed on my own just fine!" Jamie defended himself, making Danny laugh. "You can't even _get_ to bed!"

Danny glowered. "Shut up, kid." he grumbled. It was Jamie's turn to laugh, making Danny smile in response. Danny smile slipped.

"What a night…" he sighed.

"I'll say." Jamie grunted, leaning back in his chair, his coffee on the table beside him.

"I was scared that day, too…" Danny mumbled.

"Join the club." Jamie remarked, giving him an odd look. "You okay, Danny?"

Danny shrugged. "Sure… but I really thought you were a goner. When I finally got in there, when I saw you lying there in your own blood, I thought I was too late."

"Danny…"

Danny shrugged again. "That's why I fought to get you out of there first."

"Danny," Jamie sighed. "If you'd convinced them to get me out first, you know you could have died in there yourself, don't you?"

"Yeah, but at least I would have known you'd be okay."

"Danny, you're more important…"

"Don't say that, Jamie! You're important, too!" Danny argued harshly.

"I'm not saying that my life isn't worth anything, Danny!" Jamie argued back. "But you've got Linda and your boys… more people depend on you."

"This entire family depends on you, Jamie." Danny told him, ignoring Jamie's look. "This _city_ depends on you."

Jamie nodded. "I know that, Danny."

"Besides, we all got out just fine."

"Maybe we wouldn't have... it could have been worse."

"But we got out." Danny repeated.

Jamie nodded again, staring at his hands. Danny nudged him, causing him to look up. "It's nothing, Danny… but when you fell on me to cover me, and when you didn't answer Tony when he asked if we were okay, I really thought you were hurt badly…"

"Just my leg, Jamie, that's all." Danny answered. "It hurt like hell, but that's all it was."

"Still scared me…"

"I know it did, kid." Danny answered. "Actually, when I heard you hiss I thought I'd hurt you even more. That scared me, too, because I knew you couldn't afford more injuries."

"You did, Danny," Jamie told him. "And to be honest, the pain was what I concentrated on first, but the worry that you were going to die and there was nothing I could do about it soon took over…"

"And obviously I'm fine… mostly… and I'm still here." Danny interrupted, giving him a small smile.

"You are." Jamie smiled back.

"Are we going to be okay, Jamie?" Danny asked softly, staring at his hands in his lap. Jamie regarded him seriously.

"Of course we are, Danny," Jamie told him. "And we've been through worse." he finished, giving Danny a look. Danny nodded in understanding.

"You're right, kid." Danny agreed. He leaned forward. "So, how about I race you back into the house for more coffee?"

Jamie raised an eyebrow. "I _really_ hope you're kidding…" he grumbled, watching in horror as Danny grinned and stood up. He struggled to his feet. "Tell me you're kidding!"

"Why would I do that?" Danny laughed, grabbing his crutches. He hobbled as fast as he could into the house, hearing Jamie laugh, relishing in the fact that Jamie was still there to torment.

~~BB~~

"Things are going to turn out fine, Francis." Henry said, picking up a discarded magazine. He flipped it open.

Frank listened to Nicki and the boys arguing in the dining room as Nicki tried to help them with their homework. He could hear Linda and Erin discussing interior decorating in the kitchen. He turned to look outside through the window, listening through the opening at his sons' conversations and bantering. He could hear them laughing with each other. He smiled.

He was interrupted by Danny, who hobbled quickly through the door. He raised his eyebrow as Danny turned to look behind him.

"Jamie, you're not even trying!"

Jamie popped through next, limping leisurely, empty coffee cup in hand. He smirked. "I'm not the one that's going to be living in a cast the rest of my life because I'm too stubborn to rest."

Danny scoffed. "I told you already, I'm going to be out of this thing earlier than expected!"

"Says the one who keeps walking on it."

"I'm not _walking_ on it!" Danny grumbled. "How do you walk on something that's not even touching the ground?"

Jamie snorted. "You're supposed to keep it upright. It's not going to heal if you keep moving it around."

"Thank you, _Mom_." Danny grunted. "Hey, Jamie?"

"Yeah?"

"Come here."

"Why?"

"So I can hit you."

"You let go of your crutches and you're going to lose your balance, dumbass." Jamie snickered, limping after his brother. Danny huffed, frustrated, and ambled slowly into the kitchen.

"Danny Reagan, you're supposed to be resting!"

"Jamie, you need to get some rest, too!" Erin snapped. "Come here and sit down."

"Aw, Linda…"

"Erin, this is ridiculous. All I do is sit!"

"You don't sit _enough_!" Erin replied.

"Ow… watch it, Erin!" Jamie snapped.

"Sorry, honey."

"Danny, get back out there and put your leg up!" Linda commanded.

"I just want some coffee, Linda!"

"And just how do you expect to carry it out of here?"

"Well…"

"Go, sit, I'll bring it out to you."

"Fine…" Danny grumbled, nearly stumbling over his crutches. Jamie snickered again. "Shut it, Jamie."

Frank looked at Henry, giving him a smile. "Yeah, I think things are going to be just fine." he told him. He glanced fondly at the kitchen doorway, watching the commotion. Danny was struggling out of the kitchen, grumbling to himself. He could see Erin trying to force Jamie's leg up onto another chair, and Jamie, looking annoyed and sullen, fighting back like he used to do when they were kids and she got to be too mothering towards him.

"This is hardly comfortable, Erin," Jamie grunted, pain shooting through his leg. "My back's going to seize up in this chair."

"Then get your butt back out to the living room." Erin grumbled. "Or better yet, get to bed!"

"Erin!" Jamie sighed, exasperated. "I'm not going to bed! It's only seven-thirty! Besides, you just sat me down, now you're expecting me to get up again?"

"Men," Erin snapped. "They turn into babies when sick…"

"Erin!" Jamie whined.

"See, what did I tell you?"

Jamie just glowered at her. "Shut up, Erin." he fumed, causing her to laugh. She put a glass of water on the table in front of him.

"So you don't end up staying up all night." she responded, taking in the look he shot her. She turned back to the sink, not noticing when Jamie defiantly stuck his tongue out at her.

Linda followed her husband closely, reiterating to him the whole time how he needed to rest and keep his leg up in order to give it a chance to heal. Danny just rolled his eyes. There were a few shouts from the dining room.

"Keep it quiet in there!" Linda hollered to her boys. "How do you expect to figure out what you're supposed to do if you don't let Nicki help you?"

"Sorry, Mom!" they chorused.

Henry laughed, sharing an amused look with Frank. They both sighed contentedly. Things were already getting back to normal, the fear and confusion that Mother Nature can unleash already being forgotten. It was doubtful that they'd ever be ready for this type of situation – no one could be completely ready for it – but they were together, safe and sound. Despite all odds, they'd made it.

~~END~~


End file.
